Long COVID still remains elusive to medical and public health officials, and as cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. subside, researchers and the federal government are turning their attention to the lasting effects of COVID-19 infection.
Some studies on Long COVID estimate that 30% of people who catch the virus will experience long-term...
On Monday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final 2023 Medicare Advantage (MA) Part D rate announcement, which includes an 8.5% rate increase for MA and Part D plans. The agency will not adjust the MA star rating system but will be soliciting solutions to the system that incorporates a path to the Biden...
The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) annual report released this week, titled “Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism” not only assesses each state using key performance metrics but urges post-pandemic America to focus on the underlying drivers of economic and health inequities....
The Biden administration has pledged to provide Americans with better in-roads to health coverage and to even the playing field for people at a systemic disadvantage from receiving adequate healthcare. This week, a number of policy decisions highlight the administration's commitment to these goals in Medicare coverage, health equity and...CMS Rules
On February 24, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) gave a long-awaited announcement regarding the future of the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model (GPDC). The existing model will phase out by December 31, 2022 and will be redesigned to create the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access and...National News
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reports the uninsured rate for Black Americans is still 12%, compared to 9% for White Americans, and Black Americans are still reporting more barriers to accessing healthcare than White Americans.
The recent DHS study reported that since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act...
Last Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced proposed payment policy changes for the Medicare Advantage and Part D programs for Calendar Year (CY) 2023. The proposal includes a 7.98% payment increase and health equity provisions for MA participation, for example in star ratings.
The advance notice was...
A new report from Health Affairs indicates Medicaid managed care enrollees who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups have historically worse care experiences than White enrollees. Data from the report adds to the growing list of evidence that the equity gap in healthcare is growing – and will continue to do so until...
The drug overdose crisis, compounded by a severe decline in our national mental health, has only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite efforts by the Biden Administration and the US Department of Health to address these issues, new studies and surveys indicate the nation has a long way to go toward closing the current equity gap...National News
On January 27, 2022, Moderna announced early-stage clinical trials of an HIV vaccine using mRNA – the same technology used in Moderna’s successful COVID-19 vaccine. Since 1981 and the beginning of the HIV epidemic, more than 700,000 Americans have died due to AIDS complications.
According to ABC News, Moderna has teamed up...Arizona News
National healthcare researching firm HMA outlines the impact of equity-minded care in their data brief published Dec. 2021. The brief looks at some emerging efforts to overcome inequities in healthcare, and stresses that MCOs (Managed Care Organizations) are in a unique position to fight these inequities. MCOs partner with state Medicaid...National News
Does universal health coverage reduce racial disparities in health? Results of a new study from Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham of Yale’s School of Management suggest it does.
Since 2015, equity has been a cornerstone of Medicare, at which point Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) developed the first-ever CMS Equity Plan for...
A new report from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) highlights the way the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the declining health and growing inequality in the United States.
The Patients, Families, and Communities COVID-19 Impact Assessment from NAM summarizes the challenges facing health in America prior to the pandemic and...National News
The Biden administration has been outspoken about addressing health disparities, and CMS says it’s taking action on that front with its newly released end stage renal disease (ESRD) payment rule. The newly finalized rule will go into effect January 2022.
The rule places an emphasis on equity with updates to the ESRD Treatment...News
Excess deaths among Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN), and Latino men and women in the United States were more than double those reported among Whites and Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research finds.
A surveillance study published by the National Cancer Institute in Annals of Internal Medicine calculated...
Many U.S. skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have staff vaccination rates below the national average which is contributing to an uptick in overall COVID-19 case rates in nursing homes. But long-term care stakeholder groups are concerned that vaccination mandates may negatively affect already tight staffing rates in SNFs. Also, a JAMA...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is looking forward for the potential for alternative payment models this week, and wants to leverage the potential of value-based care to support the Biden administration's quest for health equity for marginalized communities.
CMS has spent the past several months...CMS Rules
The Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH) received a new final rule from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this week. The rule helps providers by dropping a requirement that would have forced hospitals to disclose their contract terms...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposal for the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program rules with a focus on addressing health disparities in vulnerable communities.
Significantly, the fee schedule proposes a 3.75% cut in reimbursements to physicians in order to maintain budget...CMS Rules
On Sunday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued two proposed rules for inpatient and long-term care hospitals. The first aims to fund medical residency positions in hospitals in rural and underserved communities in order to address workforce shortages in those areas and would require hospitals to report COVID-19...
