Equitable Value: Promoting Economic Mobility and Social Justice through Postsecondary Education

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Higher Education, with help from the Postsecondary Value Commission, released a 115-page report “Equitable Value: Promoting Economic Mobility and Social Justice through Postsecondary Education”. The report reaches the following recommendations: equalize access to increase postsecondary value; remove affordability as an impediment to postsecondary value; eliminate completion gaps and strengthen post-college outcomes to ensure postsecondary value; improve data to expose and address inequitable postsecondary value; and promote social justice by providing equitable postsecondary value.

The report may be accessed here. Reporting by Inside Higher Ed may be accessed here.

Senate Earmark Guidance Released

Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee released guidance on earmarks, referred to as Congressionally Directed Spending. Senators may submit requests beginning in late May through July 8 at noon Eastern. Before Senators can make their submissions to the Appropriations Subcommittees, they will first need to create their own applications forms and processes for their constituents to make earmark requests to their own offices. Senators will set deadlines for constituent requests and then determine which of these requests will be submitted to appropriators for potential funding.

Each Appropriations Committee has its own guidance. The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee’s internal guidance may be accessed here. A list of earmark requests submitted by Members of the House may be accessed here.

The Department of Education Announces $36 Billion in HEERF III Funds

The Department of Education has announced $36 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants for postsecondary education. This is the third round of funding for the HEERF grants, authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. The funding will help over 5,000 institutions of higher education and their students. The Biden-Harris Administration is allowing grants to reach undocumented students and others, reversing a Trump Administration policy.

The Department of Education press release is available here. New guidance may be accessed here. Reporting from Inside Higher Ed, including a funding table, may be accessed here.

Treasury Department Launches $350 Billion in Emergency Funding

The Department of the Treasury released its Interim Final Rule for $350 billion in state and local funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds can be utilized by states and localities for many purposes, including supporting public health expenditures and providing premium pay for essential workers. State and local governments could begin applying for the aid yesterday and Treasury will begin making payments in the next few days.

More information may be accessed here, a fact sheet may be accessed here, and the Interim Final Rule may be accessed here.

House LHHS Appropriations Committee Hearing on FY22 Dept of Ed Budget

The House Appropriations Committee, Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee held a hearing on “FY 2022 Budget Request for the Department of Education” with testimony by Secretary Miguel Cardona. Republicans were not supportive of the proposed 41% funding increase by the Biden Administration or cancelling student debt. Democrats focused their discussions on K-12 funding disparities, refinancing of student loans, mental health services, and CTE/workforce development. Overall, there was general consensus to support expansion of Pell and workforce development.

Read the full memo here.

Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program Supplement

HRSA has announced the opportunity for recipients who are currently funded in the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) to apply for supplemental funding under the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program Competing Supplement. It's purpose is to create and deliver COVID-19 specific education and training to the nursing home workforce and nursing home residents and their families and caregivers within the context of the age-friendly health systems framework. The closing date for applications is June 14, 2021. There are expected to be 11 awards for the $2,000,000 in total funding.

More information may be accessed on here and on grants.gov

2021 Marketplace Special Enrollment Period Report

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that 940,000 Americans have signed up for health insurance through HealthCare.gov since February 15, the start of the 2021 Marketplace Special Enrollment Period (SEP) opportunity, through April 30, with approximately 469,000 consumers signing up for health insurance in the month of April. The number of new plan selections represents a substantial increase in enrollment from the same period in 2020 and 2019. 

More information can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2021-marketplace-special-enrollment-period-report-1.

Legislation Introduced to Invest in Direct Care Workers

Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), and Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) introduced the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act. The legislation, which aligns with President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, would invest more than $1 billion over five years in training and increasing opportunities for the nation’s direct care workers, which include personal care aides, home health aides, and nursing assistants. 

The press release may be accessed here, fact sheet here, and bill text here.

Expanding Access To Medicare Telehealth Services

Members of the House and Senate Telehealth Caucus introduced the CONNECT for Health Act (S. 1512 and H.R. 2903), to remove permanently all geographic restrictions on Medicare telehealth services and expand originating sites to include home and other sites. The bill also would expand telehealth for emergency medical care; waive restrictions on telehealth use during national and public health emergencies; and allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as distant sites.

Additonal information about the legislation can be obtained at CONNECT for Health Act of 2021_Summary.pdf (senate.gov).

How Pfizer Makes Its Covid-19 Vaccine

The New York Times provides an overview of how Pfizer makes it Covid-19 vaccine, covering the science as well as the manufacturing process.

The article may be accessed here.

Enhancing The Medical Workforce In Rural And Underserved Communities

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule for inpatient and long-term care hospitals that builds on the Biden Administration’s key priorities to close health care equity gaps and provide greater accessibility to care. Major provisions in the proposed rule would fund medical residency positions in hospitals in rural and underserved communities to address workforce shortages and require hospitals to report COVID-19 vaccination rates among their workers to contain the spread of the virus. 

More information can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-proposes-enhance-medical-workforce-rural-and-underserved-communities-support-covid-19-recovery.

How Might State Medicaid and Other Health Programs Be Affected in the Pandemic's Aftermath?

A report from the Urban Institute examines how state Medicaid and other health programs responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic downturn. It also explores the outlook for these programs in the year ahead as governors and state legislatures work to balance their FY 2022 budgets.  

The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/104168/how-might-state-medicaid-and-other-health-programs-be-affected-in-the-pandemics-aftermath.pdf.

Senate Guidelines on Congressionally Directed Spending (Earmarks)

The Senate has released their guidelines on on congressionally directed spending, commonly known as earmarks. They differ from the House guidelines in that there is no limit to the number of earmarks Senators may request. The Senate timeline for earmark requests has yet to be announced,,

The Senate guidelines may be accessed here. Our prior coverage on earmarks in the House may be accessed here.

House Hearings on Telehealth, Education and Labor Budgets

On Wednesday, April 28, at 2:00pm Eastern, the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Charting the Path Forward for Telehealth”. On Wednesday, April 28, at 10:00am Eastern, the House Appropriations L-HHS-ED Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 22 Labor Budget Request with Secretary Marty Walsh. On Wednesday, May 5, at 10:00am Eastern, the Appropriations L-HHS-ED Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 22 Education Budget Request with Secretary Miguel Cardona.

The House Ways & Means hearing may be accessed here, the House Appropriations L-HHS-ED Subcommittee hearings with Labor Secretary Walsh and Education Secretary Cardona may be accessed here and here.

STAT Special Report On Artificial Intelligence

A new STAT report supported by the Commonwealth Fund explores the possibilities and pitfalls of AI in health care, detailing how these technologies are being used and regulatory gaps that may stand in the way. 

The report can be obtained at Promise and Peril: How artificial intelligence is transforming health care - STAT (statnews.com).

Nearly Three in Ten Health Care Workers Consider Leaving Their Profession

According to a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, roughly three in 10 health care workers have weighed leaving their profession, more than half are burned out, and about six in 10 say stress from the pandemic has harmed their mental health. Younger health care workers were more likely to report feeling burned out about going to work.

The Washington Post article may be accessed here, and the survey results cited may be accessed here.

ACA’s “Family Glitch” Is Making Health Insurance Unaffordable For Mill

Under the Affordable Care Act, individuals can receive premium subsidies when they buy marketplace health plans unless they have been offered affordable coverage from their employer. What is considered affordable is based only on the employee’s costs. A report from the Commonwealth Fund shows how what has come to be known as the family glitch bars low-income families from accessing affordable marketplace coverage.  

The report can be obtained at ACA Family Glitch Increases Health Costs for Millions of Families | Commonwealth Fund.

GAO Report on the CARES Act HEERF Funds

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has released a new report, “COVID-19: Emergency Financial Aid for College Students under the CARES Act”. The report provides details on how the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) emergency student aid funds were provided to schools under the CARES Act, as well as how schools distributed emergency student aid to eligible students.

The GAO highlights and full report may be accessed here.

Affordability Challenges In The Nongroup Health Insurance Market

A new report from AARP explores affordability challenges facing 50- to 64-year-olds who rely on the nongroup market using 2019 data, including unaffordable premium and out-of-pocket costs. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2021/03/affordability-challenges-older-adults-nongroup-market.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00099.008.pdf.