- VA Announces Expansion of "Close to Me" Cancer Program as Part of the Cancer Moonshot, Bringing Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Closer to Thousands of Veterans
- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Historic Action to Increase Access to Quality Care, and Support to Families and Care Workers
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Rural Jails Turn to Community Health Workers To Help the Newly Released Succeed
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
- Miles for Milk: How Student-Run Grocery Store Reshaped Rural Community's Food Access
- Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans, and It's Not Just Due to Lack of Health Care
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
- Across the Country, Amish Populations Are on the Rise
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
- Sunsets, Wildlife and Limited Care: Challenges of Aging in Place in Rural America
- City-Country Mortality Gap Widens amid Persistent Holes in Rural Health Care Access
- Tribal Environmental Impact Network
- Minnesota's Rural Ambulance Providers Look to State Capitol for Their Own Lifeline
Updated Coverage to Care Partner Resources Now Available
Coverage to Care has updated its partner resources! Now available on the C2C website, these materials are designed to help partners across the country share more information about C2C with their communities on how to make the most of their health coverage.
Coverage to Care is one of CMS OMH’s signature initiatives to help consumers understand their health coverage and connect them to the primary care and preventive services that are right for them. C2C offers resources to assist community partners in their outreach. Please be sure to use the newly updated C2C Partner Toolkit and presentation resources linked below!
Resources
- C2C Partner Toolkit provides prepared information and graphics for partners to use in their own emails, listservs, or social posts, as well as ideas on how to get started with health literacy in your community. Spanish coming soon!
- Updated C2C Community Presentation slide deck, a visual aid featuring the 8 Steps of the Roadmap to Better Care with prepared script and slides.
- C2C Presenter’s Guide (PDF) provides an overview of the C2C Community Presentation slide deck and tips for a better discussion.
- Accompanying Resources handout (PDF) with additional links to help with consumers’ health care journey.
Be sure to check out these and other resources on the C2C partner resources webpage.
To learn more about C2C, please visit go.cms.gov/c2c.
To continue receiving updates from about new C2C resources and programs, please sign up for our C2C listserv.
Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility or Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability Stratified Report
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) released a report detailing the quality of care received by people enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA).
The Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility or Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability report presents summary information on the performance of Medicare Advantage plans on specific measures of quality of health care reported in 2021, which corresponds to care received in 2020. Specifically, this report compares the quality of care for four groups of Medicare Advantage enrollees that are defined based on the combination of two characteristics: (1) dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid or eligibility for a Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and (2) disability.
Overall, the report showed that people who were dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid or eligible for the Low-Income Subsidy received worse clinical care than those who were not. The largest differences between the two groups were in the areas of Follow-up After Hospital Stay for Mental Illness (within 30 days of discharge), Avoiding Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in Elderly Patients with Dementia, and Avoiding Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in Elderly Patients with a History of Falls. Disparities by dual eligibility status/Low-Income Subsidy eligibility status were least common among Hispanic individuals and most common among White individuals. The report also shows more pronounced disparities in clinical care for dually eligible/Low-Income Subsidy eligible individuals in urban areas as compared to rural areas.
This report is based on an analysis of data from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). HEDIS collects information from medical records and administrative data on the technical quality of care that Medicare Advantage enrollees receive for a variety of medical issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease.
Health care professionals, organizations, researchers, and hospital leaders can utilize this report along with other CMS tools and resources to help raise awareness of health disparities, develop health care interventions for Medicare Advantage enrollees who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid/Low- Income Subsidy eligible and those with disabilities, and implement quality improvement efforts that improve health equity.
Help CMS to advance equity by sharing this report and our resources on prevention and health equity initiatives. Also, sign up for our listserv or visit https://go.cms.gov/omh for more information.
New Resource Launched: Kids Smiles Oral Health Toolkit
Kids Smiles recently launched the “Kids Smiles Oral Health Toolkit,” a digital resource for children, adults, families, educators, and others to learn about the importance of dental health and how to maintain a healthy smile for life. The toolkit includes videos, animations, infographics, downloadable lesson plans, and more. Resources are also
available in Spanish.
Implications of COVID-19 on Safety-Net Provider Oral Health Services
The Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) published a new report, “Implications of COVID-19 on Safety-Net Oral Health Services.” The report examines the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and other safety-net dental providers, including those that offer oral health services through mobile and portable programs.
Compendium Released on Best Practice Approaches for Treating Veterans
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) and the American Institute for Dental Public Health (AIDPH) released “A Compendium of Veteran Oral Health Best, Promising, and Emerging Practice Approaches.” This guide describes strategies to engage and serve veterans in the community for oral health care.
Pennsylvania Department of Health Seeks Oral Health Plan Advisory Group Nominations
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is accepting nominations and applications of dynamic oral health stakeholders to represent one of the nine sectors listed in the Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan 2020-2030 to serve on the Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan Advisory Group (OHPAG).
To nominate a candidate, or yourself, for the OHPAG, please download the application, complete, and send it along with a resume and/or CV to janmille@pa.gov.
The application deadline is June 5th, 2023. Selected members will be notified via email in July 2023. If you or your organization would like to endorse someone, please send an email to include with the person’s nomination. Additional information can be found at the links below.
Click here to download the nomination form.
Click here to download the group guidelines.
New CMS Report Released: Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility or Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) released a report detailing the quality of care received by people enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA).
The Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility or Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability report presents summary information on the performance of Medicare Advantage plans on specific measures of quality of health care reported in 2021, which corresponds to care received in 2020. Specifically, this report compares the quality of care for four groups of Medicare Advantage enrollees that are defined based on the combination of two characteristics: (1) dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid or eligibility for a Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and (2) disability.
Overall, the report showed that people who were dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid or eligible for the Low-Income Subsidy received worse clinical care than those who were not. The largest differences between the two groups were in the areas of Follow-up After Hospital Stay for Mental Illness (within 30 days of discharge), Avoiding Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in Elderly Patients with Dementia, and Avoiding Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in Elderly Patients with a History of Falls. Disparities by dual eligibility status/Low-Income Subsidy eligibility status were least common among Hispanic individuals and most common among White individuals. The report also shows more pronounced disparities in clinical care for dually eligible/Low-Income Subsidy eligible individuals in urban areas as compared to rural areas.
This report is based on an analysis of data from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). HEDIS collects information from medical records and administrative data on the technical quality of care that Medicare Advantage enrollees receive for a variety of medical issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease.
Health care professionals, organizations, researchers, and hospital leaders can utilize this report along with other CMS tools and resources to help raise awareness of health disparities, develop health care interventions for Medicare Advantage enrollees who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid/Low- Income Subsidy eligible and those with disabilities, and implement quality improvement efforts that improve health equity.
Help CMS to advance equity by sharing this report and our resources on prevention and health equity initiatives. Also, sign up for our listserv or visit https://go.cms.gov/omh for more information.
Small, Rural Communities Have Become Abortion Access Battlegrounds
In April, Mark Lee Dickson arrived in this 4,500-person city that hugs the Utah-Nevada border to pitch an ordinance banning abortion.
Dickson is the director of the anti-abortion group Right to Life of East Texas and founder of another organization that has spent the past few years traveling the United States trying to persuade local governments to pass abortion bans.
“Sixty-five cities and two counties across the United States” have passed similar restrictions, he told members of the West Wendover City Council during a mid-April meeting. The majority are in Texas, but recent successes in other states have buoyed Dickson and his group. “We’re doing this in Virginia and Illinois and Montana and other places as well,” he said.
The quest to enact local bans has become particularly acute in small towns, like West Wendover and Hobbs, New Mexico, which are situated by borders between states that have restricted abortion and states where laws preserve access. They are crossroads where abortion advocates and providers have looked to establish clinics to serve people traveling from the large swaths of the U.S. where states have banned or severely restricted abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nearly 50-year-old nationwide abortion protections established by the court’s decision in Roe v. Wade.
NIH-funded Study Highlights the Financial Toll of Health Disparities in the United States
Ground-breaking study provides national and state-level estimates of the economic burden of health disparities by race and ethnicity and educational levels.
New research shows that the economic burden of health disparities in the United States remains unacceptably high. The study, funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the National Institutes of Health, revealed that in 2018, racial and ethnic health disparities cost the U.S. economy $451 billion, a 41% increase from the previous estimate of $320 billion in 2014. The study also finds that the total burden of education-related health disparities for persons with less than a college degree in 2018 reached $978 billion, about two times greater than the annual growth rate of the U.S. economy in 2018.
The findings from this study by researchers from NIMHD; Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore; Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland; TALV Corp, Owings Mills, Maryland; and the National Urban League were published in JAMA.
This study is the first to estimate the total economic burden of health disparities for five racial and ethnic minority groups nationally and for all 50 states and the District of Columbia using a health equity approach. The health equity approach set aspirational health goals that all populations can strive for derived from the Healthy People 2030 goals. It establishes a single standard that can be applied to the nation and each state, and for all racial, ethnic, and education groups. It is also the first study to estimate the economic burden of health disparities by educational levels as a marker of socioeconomic status.
“The exorbitant cost of health disparities is diminishing U.S. economic potential. We have a clear call to action to address social and structural factors that negatively impact not only population health, but also economic growth,” said NIMHD Director Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D.
Transition Forward: Updated Medicaid Unwinding Resources Now Available
On May 11, 2023, the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 expired. Some Medicaid services, such as telehealth flexibilities, will not be affected and have been extended through December 31, 2024, as indicated in The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
There are certain Medicare and Medicaid waivers, broad flexibilities for health care providers, and coverage for COVID-19 testing that will be affected.
To better assist with the impact PHE unwinding will have on different areas of people’s health, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) updated its Coverage to Care (C2C) resources to help the consumers you serve understand their health coverage.
Updated C2C Resources Available
Ahead of PHE Unwinding, these resources will help consumers prepare to transition forward and continue to feel confident in how they will receive coverage for COVID-19 testing and telehealth services.
The following resources are now available on the C2C website:
- C2C COVID Overview Factsheet Explains basics of health coverage for protecting you and your family, Medicare updates, Medicaid renewal (new!), and more.
- C2C Telehealth Patient Toolkit Serves as a guide to explain telehealth basics and help patients and their families properly navigate telehealth services.
- C2C Telehealth Provider Toolkit Provides informational tips to assist providers with implementing telehealth services to their patients.
Spread the Word: Renewing Medicaid/CHIP Coverage
Additionally, to ensure Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries are up to date on the Medicaid continuous enrollment condition that expired on March 31st, CMS has created many resources, including the Anticipated 2023 State Timelines for Initiating Unwinding-Related Renewals as of February 24, 2023 (PDF, 93 KB, 2 pp).
For the most updated information about Medicaid and CHIP renewal processes, we encourage all enrollment assisters and outreach workers to communicate with Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries the following three important messages:
- Update your contact information – Make sure the state Medicaid agency or CHIP program has your current mailing address, phone number, email address, or other contact information so they can contact you about your Medicaid or CHIP renewal
- Check your mail – State Medicaid agencies or CHIP programs will mail you a letter about your Medicaid or CHIP coverage
- Complete your renewal form (if you get one) – Fill out the form and return it to the state Medicaid agency or CHIP program right away to help avoid a gap in your Medicaid or CHIP coverage
Make sure to review the updated communications toolkit, Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Enrollment Unwinding (PDF, 3.2 MB, 21 pp) and the Medicaid Unwinding Toolkit Supporting Materials (ZIP, 47 MB) to help inform people with Medicaid or CHIP about steps they should take to renew their coverage or find other health care options. *People who no longer qualify for Medicaid or CHIP are advised to visit Healthcare.gov to find out if they are eligible to enroll in a Marketplace plan.
Preparing for Medicaid Unwinding is important for all. To learn more about the Unwinding and Medicaid and CHIP Renewals, visit CMS OMH at https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/agency-information/omh/resource-center/moving-forward-after-covid-19-public-health-emergency..