Health Care

The CMS Office of the Actuary released the 2018 National Health Expenditures. The study includes estimates on health care services and goods, health insurance costs, government administration, public health activities, and other areas related to health care including personal care, residential services, and nursing care facilities.

In order to better address health-related social needs, communities across the country have been experimenting with programs to connect health care providers with community-based organizations (CBOs) that address social needs, such as housing, food insecurity, and assistance with utilities and transportation.This brief from the Commonwealth Fund surveys the landscape of these programs, highlights common challenges, and proposes solutions.

This fact sheet outlines strategies to help Medicaid stakeholders encourage partnerships between community-based organizations and health care organizations. States can provide: (1) financial support to build and sustain program capacity; (2) assistance in identifying metrics for evaluation; (3) incentives to providers to address social determinants of health; and (4) use of policy levers, including value-based contracts, managed care organization regulations, and state plan amendments.

Presentation from the Aging and Disability Business Institute that provides practical strategies that can enable CBOs to establish positive working relationships with physician groups, hospitals and health plans.