During the week of August 26, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it launched a redesigned Medicare Plan Finder that aims to make it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to compare their coverage options. CMS said the update to the Medicare Plan Finder is the first in a decade and is part of the agency’s eMedicare initiative, “which expands and improves on current Medicare consumer service options.”

A policy brief issued last year by the University of Minnesota reported that while the COPD prevalence rate is higher for individuals living in rural areas,  Critical Access Hospitals are less likely to employ any respiratory therapists.  With support from HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the National Rural Health Resource Center created this guide to help rural hospitals and clinics identify areas for improvement with diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care of COPD patients. The guide is developed as part of the COPD National Action Plan, with the goal of developing resources for improving the lives of patients living with COPD in rural communities.  Click here to access the full brief.

The Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records regulations (42 CFR Part 2), aka “Part 2,” protect patient privacy when receiving substance use disorder treatment.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has proposed changes to these rules based on stakeholder feedback and to facilitate coordination of care.  The proposals include allowing non-opioid treatment program providers to become eligible to get information from prescription drug monitoring programs and changing the requirements for patient consent.   See this HHS Fact Sheet for a summary of the proposals and RHIhub for more information on substance use disorder treatment in rural areas.  Comments are due on October 25, 2019.

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has launched a Rural Health Task Force of leaders to develop and promote a rural health agenda. The task force will develop policy recommendations to: 1. Shore up the current rural health care system, including transforming critical access hospitals, small rural clinics, and rural hospitals to meet community needs; 2. Address barriers and opportunities for rural participation in new delivery models; and 3. Build on successful rural workforce and graduate medical education proposals. The BPC is encouraging public comments for solutions in these three areas, as well as other ideas that support reforming America’s rural healthcare system. Commentators may email policy ideas to ruralhealth@bipartisanpolicy.org.  Click here for more information.  Comments are due on September 7, 2019.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) seeks information from the public about measuring access to health care in rural communities. This Request for Information (RFI) supports the ongoing work of the HHS Rural Health Task Force that is seeking to identify the needs of rural communities, how to meet those needs, and what HHS policy changes can address those needs. Questions for public comment specific to rural communities include: what are the core health care services needed, what types and numbers of health care professionals are needed, what factors are important to identify core health services, and how should access to health care services be measured. People in rural communities face a range of health disparities, including greater obesity and disease burden in children and adults, higher mortality rates, and shorter life expectancy. Rural areas also have fewer health professionals per person compared to urban areas.  Click here to access the RFI.  Comments are due on October 9, 2019.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has not only spurred a decline in uninsured rates across all U.S. racial and ethnic groups, it’s also reduced disparities in coverage, according to a new Commonwealth Fund analysis published this week. Researchers found that the coverage gap between blacks and whites declined from 11.0 percentage points in 2013 to 5.3 percentage points in 2017. The gap between Hispanics and whites, meanwhile, dropped from 25.4 points to 16.6 points. While disparities in coverage shrank both in states that expanded Medicaid and in those that did not, the reduction was greater in the expansion states, according to the study authors. Read more.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) has selected the Pennsylvania Association for Community Health Centers (PACHC) as the Navigator for the state-based exchange (SBE) that the state is developing. The SBE will take the place of the commonwealth’s current reliance on the federal Marketplace for Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage. Full transition to the SBE is targeted for January 2021. This selection and accompanying funding will allow PACHC to continue and build on the hub and spoke enrollment assistance model we developed for individuals interested in Marketplace coverage. This includes monthly health center-based enrollment assister peer network calls, a dedicated outreach and enrollment track at our Annual Conference, trend analysis, intervention and outreach.