- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- VA: Solicitation of Nominations for the Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
- GAO Seeks New Members for Tribal and Indigenous Advisory Council
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
New Brief Explores Meeting Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families
In this policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, researchers offer strategies to support the development of systems across health care and community-based organizations to improve access to behavioral health.
Access the brief at Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Farm Families in Times of Economic Distress.
Rural America May Experience Service Blackouts as Providers Sunset 3G Technology
The lack of service could be particularly dangerous for individuals dependent on their cellphones to get out of domestic violence situations, experts say.
As telecommunications companies prepare to sunset their 3G networks, some activists are worried about what that will mean for residents of rural America, particularly those who may find themselves in situations of domestic violence.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, mobile carriers are shutting down their 3G networks, which rely on older technology, to make room for more advanced network services, including 5G. This means that many older cell phones will be unable to make or receive calls and texts, including calls to 911 or use data services. This will affect 3G mobile phones and certain older 4G mobile phones that do not support Voice over LTE (VoLTE or HD Voice).
The companies are shutting down the services at various times throughout 2022, with AT&T expected to shut down the 3G service by the end of February, while Verizon will wait until the end of the year.
“Access is hard anyway, just due to the remoteness of our communities,” said Lori Jump, director of StrongHearts Native Helpline, a hotline for and by American Indian and Alaska Native peoples in an interview with The Daily Yonder. “We’re not located for the most part in major cities or urban areas. So access has always been an issue for Indian Country.”
StrongHearts is a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.
Jump said certain groups are going to be affected more by the 3G shutdown: People in rural areas, those living on reservations, people who are low-income, and people of color. “These are the people who are going to be most impacted by this,” she said.
Native survivors are twice as likely to experience rape or sexual assault, two and a half times more likely to experience violent crimes, and five times more likely to be victims of homicide in their lifetimes compared to all other races in the country, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Jump noted that most of the press coverage about the change has been around 5G and its potential to interact with airlines and their ability to communicate.“And so if you’re not really looking into this, you probably don’t even know that your phone isn’t going to work eventually,” she added.
For survivors of domestic violence, there are two ways this could affect them: They may soon not have a working phone to be able to call 911 and ankle monitors for perpetrators may not work sufficiently because they are also on the 3G network and smaller communities may not have the resources to upgrade them, Jump said.
“Both of those are huge safety issues for survivors,” she added.
Verizonhas stated since 2016 that they would decommission the 3G network eventually. It was pushed back from 2019 to 2020 and then 2022.
“We worked for the past several years to help those who still have 3G devices transfer to devices capable of accessing the 4G LTE or 5G networks and continue to actively work with remaining 3G customers to migrate them to new devices and technology,” Vice President Mike Haberman wrote in a post on the carrier’s website. “As a result of those efforts, we can now report that more than 99% of our customers are using the enhanced features of 4G LTE or 5G, with less than 1% still accessing the 3G network.”
A spokesperson for AT&T, meanwhile, said in a statement to The Daily Yonder that the company has “proactively sent numerous communications via direct mail, bill messaging, emails and text messages to help customers transition to next generation networks before 3G services end on February 22. We are working with customers to make this process easier, including in a substantial majority of cases providing free replacement devices.”
Kelley Weber is the executive director of The Hope Center in Athens, Tennessee.
Though she mentioned that many of her own employees have trouble with getting cell service in the rural areas, many of the survivors she sees at the shelter come in with phones, sometimes phones provided by the abuser as a way to always get a hold of them or monitor their social media use.
Still, she said, the change in 3G will affect some survivors because their phones won’t work. “You’re actually going to have to physically remove yourself and get to a place where you could get help,” Weber said in an interview with The Daily Yonder.
Every survivor who comes to the shelter is provided help to sign up for a government program to get a new phone, if eligible, Weber said. Previously, they might have provided the survivor with a donated phone, but donations have slowed down as people are now allowed to turn in their phones for credit toward a new phone.
Assurance Wireless is a federal Lifeline Assistance program. Lifeline is a government assistance program that provides eligible low-income customers free monthly data, unlimited texting, and free monthly minutes as well as a free phone.
American Heart Month: The Link Between Oral Health and Heart Disease
February is American Heart Month. In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in most racial/ethnic groups, contributing to 659,000 deaths each year. One in every four deaths is attributed to heart disease. Moderate to severe periodontal disease is linked to higher risk for heart disease. The bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation and plaque accumulation in blood vessels.
Click here for more information about oral health and heart disease.
Click here for more information about American Heart Month.
PA Oral Health Coalition Releases 2021 Annual Report
The PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is pleased to announce the completion of our 2021 Annual Report. Our work would not be possible without you. Thank you to all stakeholders, partners, and funders for working hard to improve oral health in Pennsylvania.
USDA Seeks Applications to Strengthen Community and Economic Development to Benefit All People in Rural Communities
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants that will advance equity in rural communities through improvements in housing, community facilities, and community and economic development.
USDA is making the grants available under the Rural Community Development Initiative or RCDI program. Qualified intermediaries may use the funds to improve housing and community facilities, and to implement community and economic development projects in rural areas.
USDA is offering priority points to projects that advance key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance equity and combat climate change. These extra points will increase the likelihood of funding for projects seeking to address these critical challenges in rural America.
Eligible applicants include public bodies and tribal authorities, nonprofit organizations and qualified for-profit organizations.
Grants may be used to train sub-grantees to conduct educational training on homeownership or minority-owned business entrepreneurship. The grants also may be used to provide technical assistance to sub-grantees on the following:
- strategic plan development
- accessing alternative funding sources
- training and resources for board operations, management, financial systems and information technology
Awardees must contribute matching funds equal to the amount of the grant.
Electronic applications will be accepted via Grants.gov. Electronic applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 19, 2022.
The deadline for paper applications is 4 p.m. local time, April 25, 2022.
Additional information is available on page 7084 of the February 8 Federal Register. In Pennsylvania, please contact Rebecca Hurst at (717) 237-2267 or rebecca.hurst2@usda.gov, the RCDI coordinator, for additional information.
If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
HHS Announces New Task Force to Prevent Human Trafficking
The Task Force will focus on partnerships, equity, and open data.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra publicly announced the formation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Task Force to Prevent Human Trafficking (the Task Force). The Task Force will facilitate implementation of the priority actions HHS has committed to in President Biden’s National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, as well as strengthen HHS’ human trafficking prevention and intervention efforts with a focus on partnerships, equity, and open data.
Secretary Becerra first announced the Task Force at a January 25th meeting of President Biden’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons – a cabinet-level entity of 20 federal agencies responsible for coordinating U.S. government-wide efforts to combat human trafficking. The Administration for Children and Families and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health will lead the Task Force at HHS, which will be made up of experts from across the Department.
“There is no place for human trafficking in our world. Our Task Force will work to ensure health and human services providers are adequately equipped to support survivors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “On top of determining new ways to support survivors, our Task Force will work to elevate national awareness about human trafficking to encourage more people to come forward and help stop it. Together, government, community, and businesses can prevent human trafficking in neighborhoods across the country.”
Human trafficking disproportionally affects many of the communities HHS serves. These communities include—but are not limited to—youth and adults experiencing homelessness and domestic violence, persons in eldercare systems, unaccompanied children and refugees, Indigenous communities, individuals with a prior history of substance abuse and other populations that have been systemically marginalized. Part of the work of the Task Force will be to figure out how to better reach affected communities where they are.
“Gender, racial, and other forms of inequity are some of the major underlying factors that contribute to risks for human trafficking,” added Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine. “Our unified public health response to human trafficking will strengthen our national understanding of the diverse manifestations of human trafficking and work towards the short- and long-term wellbeing of historically underserved communities.”
Together, with federal, state, local, and public-private partners, the Task Force will work to scale innovative models to prevent human trafficking – particularly in the high-need areas of housing, mental health and substance use, and economic mobility. In addition, the Task Force will integrate an equity lens into new public awareness strategies to better reach populations at disproportionate risk for human trafficking. Finally, the Task Force will partner with the research and business communities to analyze data on human trafficking and prevent human trafficking in healthcare supply chains.
“Each instance of human trafficking we learn about through the HHS National Human Trafficking Hotline or through local grant-receiving organizations represents an opportunity for us to make a pivotal connection,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families JooYeun Chang. “We need to look at multi-generational solutions to disrupt the cycles of trauma and strengthen resiliency at individual, family, and community levels.”
Medicare Will Cover Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests
CMS Developing Initiative to Enable Access to Eight Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests for Medicare Beneficiaries in Early Spring
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free. Tests will be available through eligible pharmacies and other participating entities. This policy will apply to COVID-19 over-the-counter tests approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This is the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to beneficiaries. There are a number of issues that have made it difficult to cover and pay for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests. However, given the importance of expanding access to testing, CMS has identified a pathway that will expand access to free over-the-counter testing for Medicare beneficiaries. This new initiative will enable payment from Medicare directly to participating pharmacies and other participating entities to allow Medicare beneficiaries to pick up tests at no cost. CMS anticipates that this option will be available to people with Medicare in the early spring.
Until then, people with Medicare can access free tests through a number of channels established by the Biden-Harris Administration. Medicare beneficiaries can:
- Request four free over-the-counter tests for home delivery at covidtests.gov.
- Access COVID-19 tests through healthcare providers at over 20,000 free testing sites nationwide. A list of community-based testing sites can be found here.
- Access lab-based PCR tests and antigen tests performed by a laboratory when the test is ordered by a physician, non-physician practitioner, pharmacist, or other authorized health care professional at no cost. In addition to accessing a COVID-19 lab test ordered by a health care professional, people with Medicare can also already access one lab-performed test without an order, also without cost sharing, during the public health emergency.
In addition:
- Medicare Advantage plans may offer coverage and payment for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests as a supplemental benefit in addition to covering Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, so Medicare beneficiaries covered by Medicare Advantage should check with their plan to see if it includes such a benefit.
- All Medicare beneficiaries with Part B are eligible for the new benefit, whether enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or not.
For more information, please see these Frequently Asked Questions, https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-19-over-counter-otc-tests-medicare-frequently-asked-questions.pdf.
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
This week is the start of National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM). During February, oral health advocates across the country are raising awareness on the importance of children’s oral health and focusing on the theme, “Sealants Make Sense.” Free materials are available from the American Dental Association (ADA). Oral Health Watch is also hosting the “National Children’s Dental Health Month Tweet Chat” with several cohosts on February 10th at 2 pm ET. Participants are encouraged to follow @OralHealthWatch on Twitter and use #NCDHM and #KidsTeeth in any NCDHM-related tweets.
Click here to view the ADA’s free materials.
Click here to check out @OralHealthWatch on Twitter.
CDC Division of Oral Health New Email Subscriptions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Oral Health has unveiled a new communication series of three topic-focused email subscriptions to educate, promote, and share information on various oral health subjects. The three new emails are General Updates from the Division of Oral Health, Infection Prevention & Control in Dental Settings, and CDC’s Dental Public Health Residency Program. The emails are intended for dental health care personnel, dental and dental public health students, advocates and educators, researchers, water operators and engineers, and anyone interested in oral health.
Click here to subscribe to the General Updates emails.
Click here to subscribe to the Infection Prevention & Control emails.
Click here to subscribe to the Dental Public Health Residency Program emails.
CMS Issues Funding Notice to Connect Kids to Coverage
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) through the Connecting Kids to Coverage Helping Ensure Access for Little Ones, Toddlers, and Hopeful Youth by Keeping Insurance Delivery Stable Act of 2017 (HEALTHY KIDS Act) 2022 Outreach and Enrollment Cooperative Agreements program.
The HEALTHY KIDS Act 2022 NOFO will make $49.4 million available, ranging between $500,000 to $1.5 million per awardee for a three-year period of performance, to fund efforts to increase the participation of eligible children, parents, and pregnant individuals in Medicaid and CHIP. This is the largest amount of funding CMS has ever made available for these outreach and enrollment awards. CMS aims to reach a broad range of stakeholder organizations eligible to apply for the awards, including encouraging applicants who will be targeting subgroups of children with lower than average health coverage rates (e.g. adolescents, Latino, AI/AN or children in rural areas), with a goal of having a robust applicant pool from which to choose funded entities.
Web Links:
Applications will be accepted through March 28, 2022. For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=337485