With premiums and deductibles outpacing income growth over the past decade, employer health plans are failing to protect many older adults from health costs or ensure access to affordable care, a new Commonwealth Fund study shows. Large shares of adults ages 50 to 64 in these plans, especially people with low or moderate income, can’t afford needed care and struggle to pay their medical bills. Learn what policymakers can do to expand coverage options for people in this age group. Read more.
Advocates Gear Up for a Busy Fall with Important Issues in Play
Healthcare advocacy groups are gearing up for a busy autumn, once Congress returns to Washington, DC the week of Labor Day. Government spending is expected to be the focus of the fall, including funding for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, Teaching Health Centers, and other workforce programs that require reauthorization to be funded. Several hospital-related issues involving payment, mergers, and price transparency are also in play, as is the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform and 340B. Several groups expect a general “health care package” to move later this fall.
Read Here About the Recent Pennsylvania COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Updates
With the end of the COVID-19 Vaccine Program, questions remain about where health centers can order COVID-19 vaccines. Utilize the Immunization Program Directory to contact your immunization program manager to order vaccines after August 23. Once available, vaccines for adults can be ordered through the CDC Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines, Expanding COVID-19 Vaccination (ECV) funds may be used to purchase COVID-19 vaccines. If ECV-purchased vaccines are administered to individuals with payer sources (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance), you must seek reimbursement and adjust your financial records accordingly. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has approximately 7,000 free POC COVID-19 tests expiring on September 27 and October 29.
Here You Can Read About the Increasing Access to Telehealth
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and Lifeline are federal government programs that help eligible households pay for internet services and internet-connected devices. Eligible households can enroll for ACP online or with a mail-in application in English or Spanish. Telehealth.hhs.gov’s Getting Help with Access webpage includes information about these programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently added a new video to acquaint new telehealth patients with the technology (scroll down to “Video meetings”). FCC’s ACP Consumer Outreach Toolkit offers resources to help you spread the word.
The HRSA Clinician Job Search Tool Has Gotten an Upgrade
HRSA’s Health Workforce Connector connects clinicians to job and training opportunities. New features simplify job searches by discipline and program and offer an expanded display for Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) and other scores, assisting clinicians seeking qualifying positions. HRSA-supported health centers with approval for loan repayment and scholarship programs can create profiles.
Report Outlines on Quality Improvement Strategies for CAHs Have Been Released
A new report offers practical, rural-relevant strategies that critical access hospital (CAH) leaders and staff can adopt to more fully incorporate quality improvement efforts into their organization’s culture and develop a shared sense of responsibility for quality patient care. Based on discussions among rural health quality leaders from across the country who attended the Critical Access Hospital Infrastructure Summit earlier this year, the report is the work of the National Rural Health Resource Center, in partnership with the Flex Monitoring Team and Stratis Health.
Assessing Key Indicators of Rural Versus Urban Water Quality
Among the key findings in this study from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center: existing data is insufficient to determine national estimates of water quality or to compare water quality in rural versus urban areas; the lack of standardized data makes it challenging to protect the public from unsafe waters in a variety of settings.
U.S. Census Bureau Updates
Census Bureau Highlight: Household Pulse Survey
The U.S. Census Bureau, in collaboration with multiple federal agencies, is in a unique position to produce data on the social and economic effects of coronavirus on American households. The Household Pulse Survey was designed to deploy quickly and efficiently, collecting data to measure household experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. It has evolved to include content on other emergent social and economic issues facing households. Data will be disseminated in near real-time to inform federal and state action. You can access the most recent Household Pulse Survey data tables here.
Census Bureau Updates
Census Bureau Releases Schedule for Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Statistics and American Community Survey (ACS) Estimates
- On Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance statistics from the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) will be released.
- On Thursday September 14, 2023, 2022 ACS 1-year estimates will be released, which will include statistics on numerous demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics
- Click here for more details and to view the complete release schedule.
Census Bureau to Establish 2030 Census Advisory Committee
The Census Bureau invites the public to nominate panel members representing stakeholder organizations, groups, interests and viewpoints to the 2030 Census Advisory Committee. This opportunity is another way the Census Bureau is engaging with diverse voices as it prepares for the next decennial census and seeks external perspectives on its plans to address census undercounts, communicate with different communities and collect census information in an easy and efficient way. Click here to learn more.
Census Bureau Releases 2022 Census of Governments: Organization Data
The U.S. Census Bureau released the official count of state and local governments. Data are presented by characteristics such as government type, state, population size groups, and function. The data also provide detailed characteristics of school systems, that include independent school districts and dependent school systems. You can learn more about the Census of Governments in this recent podcast and access the data here.
Availability of Here You Can Find Research on Dialysis Facilities and Primary Care Safety Net Providers in Minoritized Racial/Ethnic Group Areas
Two briefs from the Rural and Minority Health Research Center document disparities in geographic access to health services for areas containing a high proportion of minoritized racial/ethnic group residents. The term “minoritized” refers to groups that have been historically marginalized by society and government institutions.
Here You Can Read About the August Grants in Motion: Training the Rural Public Health Workforce
The Rural Health Information Hub’s quarterly highlight of FORHP-funded projects is the Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program (RPHWTN). The goal of the RPHWTN program is to expand public health capacity in rural and tribal areas with job development, training, and placement through four training tracks: 1) community health support, 2) community paramedicine, 3) health information technology and/or telehealth technical support, and 4) case management and/or respiratory therapy.