Health Affairs

The aging population is increasing, which means that more Medicare beneficiaries, especially those 75 and older, have considerable morbidity, diminished quality of life, and a high degree of caregiver burden. The increase of medically complex Medicare beneficiaries has created a need for developing core measures for tracking and improving the quality of care this population receives. This article discusses how to leverage Medicare Advantage to support diverse older patients, a different framework to improve quality in Medicare, and the development of a care set of measures for age-friendly care.

Health Affairs released an article discussing how state policy makers can address the LTSS gap under existing authorities including expanding Medicaid eligibility and the State Plan Amendments, Section 115 Demonstrations, Older Americans Act funding, and other state-driven initiatives. The LTSS gap is comprised of "near Medicaid-eligible individuals" who experience higher rates of disability and less access to caregiver support compared to Medicare beneficiaries. This paper includes insights and recommendations that can be used to address the needs of a broad range of individuals who can't afford LTSS.

This Health Affairs article, written by Katie McEvoy of the National Association of Medicaid Directors argues for structural stability and continued federal financial support for Medicaid. The article highlights the importance of Medicaid in supporting older adults and people with disabilities, its important role in Health Care Infrastructure And State Economies, and the public support for the program.

Health Affairs has published a new blog highlighting the value of improving health and well-being through establishing community care hubs. Hubs are characterized as community-focused entities that support a network of community-based organizations providing services for health-related social needs. The blog complements ACL’s investments to develop and scale community care hubs across the country including the National Learning Community, and plans to administer grants to support community care hub infrastructure.

This article presents case studies from different global regions to illustrate how disabilities are often overlooked in responding to climate-related health impacts and disaster planning. Health Affairs draws particular attention to mutual aid networks led by people with disabilities in adapting to climate-related health impacts and makes suggestions policy makers and practitioners can use to integrate disability justice into their work.

The Narrative Matters section of the October issues of Health Affairs, focused on disability and health, is holding a poetry contest. Health Affairs is looking for poems touching on topics related to disabilities and health by writers who have experience with disability. Family members and caregivers of people with disabilities are welcomed to submit work as well. The winner will receive a $500 prize and have their poem featured in the October issue of Health Affairs. The deadline to submit a poem is July 25, 2022.

In this Health Affairs blog post, Nancy Archibald, MHA, MBA, CHCS’ Associate Director for Federal Integrated Care Programs, outlines perspectives from state Medicaid officials on the federal policies that have advanced Medicare-Medicaid integration, and areas where they believe additional federal policy actions are needed.

The peer-reviewed healthcare journal, Health Affairs, has dedicated its February issue to the topic of racism and health. Google and Twitter have flagged racism as "sensitive content" and are blocking Health Affairs' paid media advertisements to promote the content. This article by Becker's Hospital Review discusses censorship of racial and ethnic issues and explains why sharing facts about health disaparites is important on these digital platforms.