Initiatives will ensure children in Oregon have continuous Medicaid coverage until the age of six, and expand access to coverage and address nutrition and housing needs in Massachusetts and Oregon

 Approvals of the initiatives come during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, taking direct action on the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy to end hunger, reduce diet-related diseases, and eliminate health inequities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), approved groundbreaking Medicaid section 1115 demonstration initiatives in Massachusetts and Oregon. Both demonstrations aim to test improvements in coverage, access, and quality with innovative approaches to ensure more eligible people retain their Medicaid coverage, including by approving Oregon’s demonstration to keep children enrolled in Medicaid up to age six — preventing gaps in coverage that can cause children to lose access to needed care in their formative early years.

The initiatives also take steps to address unmet health-related social needs, such as by giving Massachusetts and Oregon new authority to test coverage for evidenced-based nutritional assistance and medically tailored meals, clinically-tailored housing supports, and other interventions for certain beneficiaries where there is a clinical need. These efforts coincide with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, where the Biden-Harris Administration released its national strategy to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities – all goals supported by the initiatives approved today.

“This is an historic moment in our nation’s fight to end hunger and improve health equity, particularly in states like Oregon and Massachusetts,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Groundbreaking action in each state will ensure children and youth remain connected to health care, and that we double down on tackling social needs impacting health, such as nutrition. Everyone should get the access to care they need to live safe and healthy lives.”

“I’m proud to partner with Oregon and Massachusetts to improve quality and access, reduce health disparities, and improve health equity, for those who need it most. For the first time ever, children with Medicaid coverage in Oregon will be able to keep their coverage until the age of 6 — ensuring they can get the care they need during their formative years. This is just one aspect of the groundbreaking demonstration initiatives that I’m approving today,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “These states are also partnering with community-based providers to address the root social causes of health concerns, like lack of access to nutritious food and housing insecurity. We applaud Massachusetts and Oregon for helping us use every tool available to protect and expand access to high-quality, comprehensive, affordable health care coverage.”

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, thanks to the American Rescue Plan and other Administration efforts, more Americans than ever before have health insurance coverage. Today’s approvals will build on these efforts and support President Biden’s executive orders in April 2022 and January 2021 directing federal agencies to take action to expand affordable, quality health coverage, including by strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

Both demonstrations approved today will work to improve enrollment and continuity of coverage. In Oregon, children determined eligible for Medicaid will be able to stay continuously enrolled until they turn six years old, without their families needing to renew their coverage. This will minimize red tape for both families and the state, and help to ensure access to care throughout this critical period of early childhood. Individuals older than six will be able to keep their coverage for up to two years, even if their household income fluctuates. Massachusetts will provide up to 12 months of continuous coverage for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries upon release from correctional settings and 24-months of continuous eligibility for beneficiaries with a confirmed status of chronic homelessness, eliminating gaps in coverage for these vulnerable populations.

Evidence indicates that health-related social needs, such as food insecurity and housing instability, are critical drivers of an individual’s health outcomes. With this demonstration, Massachusetts will receive expanded authority to provide certain time-limited housing supports, clinical nutrition education, and medically-tailored food assistance services when medically appropriate. These services will be available to a range of at-risk populations, including postpartum individuals for up to 12 months. Massachusetts will also provide additional meal support for certain households when an eligible beneficiary is a child or pregnant woman with special clinical needs. Oregon will expand health-related social needs coverage for certain food assistance, housing supports, and other interventions that are medically appropriate for individuals experiencing certain life transitions, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In both states, the time-limited housing and nutritional support services provided in the demonstration can be expected to stabilize the housing and nutritional circumstances of these Medicaid enrollees and thus ensure that they will keep receiving and benefiting from the Medicaid-covered services to which they are entitled.

Massachusetts will also be implementing an innovative Hospital Quality and Equity Initiative for private acute hospitals and the Commonwealth’s only non-state-owned public hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance. The initiative is expected to reduce health inequities by improving outcomes in populations that are likely to face barriers to quality health care. As such, the demonstration is likely to help improve the quality of care and is also likely to reduce health disparities through this value-based care approach.

CMS will require both states to systematically monitor the demonstrations and conduct rigorous independent evaluations to determine the outcomes and impacts.

For additional information about the Massachusetts’ MassHealth Section 1115 Demonstration, please visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/section-1115-demo/demonstration-and-waiver-list/82006.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs, and the 2023 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts.

Please review the Fact Sheet at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2023-medicare-parts-b-premiums-and-deductibles-2023-medicare-part-d-income-related-monthly.  For more information on the 2023 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles (CMS-8077-N, CMS-8078-N, CMS-8079-N), please visit https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/current.

What if the solution you are looking for can be found in another country? 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is pleased to present The Blue Marble Gallery, an online collection of works from changemakers in various continents, designed to inspire your journey toward health equity. Discover how people across the globe are impacting child care, nutrition, urban design, and more to unveil fresh solutions and unlock new possibilities for your community.

Join us to celebrate the opening of the Blue Marble Gallery on October 18, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET . The exhibit will be available on our website for a limited time, so reserve your spot today.

At the virtual reception, you’ll get an exclusive look at this pop-up exhibit and have the chance to reflect with others on how ideas from other countries and cultures can inspire change here in the United States.

Register to participate >>

On September 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs, and the 2023 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts.

Please see the FACT SHEET- 2023 Medicare Parts A B Premiums and Deductibles for detailed information.

Medicare health and drug plans can make changes each year—things like cost, coverage, and what providers and pharmacies are in their networks. You can change your Medicare health plan and/or Medicare drug coverage from October 15–December 7. Before the Medicare OEP, you’ll get notices in the mail about changes to your coverage for the coming year. You should always review the materials you get from your plan, like the “Evidence of Coverage” (EOC) and “Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC). If your plan is changing, make sure it will still meet your needs for the next year. If you’re satisfied with your plan, you don’t need to do anything.

For more information, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit Medicare.gov.

“Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP) Bootcamp 2022” Webinars

September 28–29 from 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET

Join us as we share Medicare updates and resources to help those who assist people with Medicare make informed decisions about their 2023 health care coverage.

Topics for each day:

Wednesday, September 28—Medicare Plan Finder basics, updates, and user tips, information about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, including details about new costs for insulin and vaccines in 2023, and Q&A.

To register for the September 28 webinar, visit CMSnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/moodle/course/view.php?id=227

Thursday, September 29—Medicare OEP overview, general program and cost updates, OEP Media outreach campaigns, Call Center overview and activities, vaccination campaigns, State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) overview and OEP resources, and fraud awareness and prevention.

To register for the September 29 webinar, visit CMSnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/moodle/course/view.php?id=228

These webinars will be recorded and posted to the National Training Program (NTP) website. To view the recordings, visit CMSnationaltrainingprogram.cms.gov/?q=ntp-courses.

Locating and Applying for Federal Grants

Join representatives from USDA Rural Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response to learn about federal funding opportunities.

We’ll discuss how to locate federal grants, share tips on completing applications, and give an overview on federal grants management. Workshops will take place regionally, and you can attend whichever workshop is most convenient for you.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the webinar, please notify the RWIN Team at RD.Innovation.RWIN@usda.gov.

• Midwest: September 29, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration
• West: October 13, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration
• Northeast: October 27, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration
• South: November 17, 2022, 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern Time
  Registration

To learn more about the upcoming webinars, visit Rural Workforce Innovation Network.

Have you thought about applying for an NIH Extramural LRP award? Do you know someone that should?  Awardees can receive up to $100,000 of qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year contract.

The NIH LRPs are unique programs, with tremendous benefit to early-stage researchers, so we strongly encourage those that were not successful in getting their applications funded to apply again.

Be sure to visit the LRP website or attend one of our upcoming events to learn more about eligibility requirements, application dates, and benefits of receiving an NIH LRP award!

• October 3 – LRP Technical Assistance Webinar
• Early November – Ask Me Anything

The Extramural LRP application cycle will close on November 17, 2022.

Click here to visit the LRP website.

LRP Application Tips

• Obtain your NIH eRA Commons ID and make sure your password is current.  An eRA Commons ID will be required to start your application.
• Check out the new application tutorial videos
• Check out the latest LRP Application Guide to learn about application components
• Check out the published guide notices
• Reach out to an NIH LRP Program Officer to discuss your research
• Contact your Institutional Business Official (IBO) at your institution
• Contact an LRP Ambassador
• Application Deadline – November 17, 2022