Newswire Archives
Four years ago, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) introduced a Culture of Health Action Framework and measures to help track the nation’s progress toward becoming a country that values health everywhere, for everyone. A new update shows progress that has occurred.
The update can be obtained at https://www.rwjf.org/en/blog/2019/09/new-data-on-how-were-measuring-a-culture-of-health.html?rid=0034400001rmH3gAAE&et_cid=1831683.
The Roadmap for Racial Equity: An Imperative for Workforce Development Advocates is a report aimed as a first effort at laying out the pervasive issues of racism and exclusion in the workforce and education systems, as well as potential solutions for remedying these persistent problems.
The report can be obtained at https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/resources/publications/file/Racial-Equity-Report_6x9_web.pdf?emci=c0f93efa-63d6-e911-bcd0-2818784d4349&emdi=8e668b74-51d9-e911-b5e9-2818784d6d68&ceid=6418639.
This morning the Senate Appropriations Committee released its Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill. Overall, the Senate Labor-HHS bill contained a 1% increase over FY 19, with the largest increase ($3 billion) directed to the National Institutes of Health. HRSA would be allocated $6.9 billion, which is $387 million less than the House bill and $85 million less than FY 2019. The bill would provide Title VII Health Professions and Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs with $633.506 million for previously funded programs in FY 2020, an $8.189 million (1.27%) decrease from FY 2019 enacted levels. The House’s legislation provided $680 million for previously funded programs, a $38.305 million (5.97%) increase from FY 2019 enacted levels.
The bill, report, and summary may be accessed at their links.
On Thursday the House Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee will hold a hearing on, “Broken Promises: Examining the Failed Implementation of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program”. The hearing, which is scheduled take place at 10:15am, will consist of two witness panels.
Panel I will include the following witnesses: Ms. Kelly Finlaw, Teacher, New York City; Mr. James H. Steeley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency; Ms. Yael Shavit, J.D., Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General; Mr. Matthew M. Chingos, Ph.D., Vice President for Education Data and Policy, Urban Institute
Panel II will include the following witnesses: Ms. Melissa Emery-Arras, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, Government Accountability Office; Mr. Jeff Appel, Office of Federal Student Aid, Director of Policy Liaison and Implementation, U.S. Department of Education
More information may be accessed here.
According to a study from the American Medical Association based on guidelines used by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to assess market competition, 75% of U.S. commercial health insurance markets were highly concentrated in 2018, compared to 71% in 2014.
More information about the study can be obtained at
A new brief from the Urban Institute explores state variation in health insurance coverage changes during implementation of the primary health insurance coverage reforms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) using data from the 2013 and 2017 American Community Survey. State variation is summarized using a typology that groups states according to their pre-ACA uninsurance levels, Medicaid expansion status, and efforts to encourage marketplace enrollment.
The brief can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/101035/a_typology_for_analyzing_coverage_gains_by_state_2013-2017.pdf.
The Century Foundation issued a new report about online program management companies' involvement in higher education.
The report can be obtained at https://tcf.org/content/report/dear-colleges-take-control-online-courses/?agreed=1.
Section 1332 State Innovation Waivers, named after the section of the Affordable Care Act that created them, are intended to allow states to implement innovative strategies to provide health coverage for their residents. This Insight on the Issues from the AARP Public Policy Institute provides a guide for states to understand the landscape and history of these waivers and how they can have an impact.
The report can be obtained at https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2019/09/health-insurance-state-innovation-waivers-and-older-adults-state-guide.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00081.003.pdf.
Failure is essential to innovation, but few health care organizations see setbacks as learning opportunities that can help achieve goals of improving health and reducing cost. A Commonwealth Fund report shares lessons from innovators who overcame obstacles to implementing new ways of delivering care.
The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Klein_course_corrections_hlt_innovators.pdf.
Employment at the nation's hospitals increased in August 2019 to a seasonally adjusted 5,253,200 employees, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report. That figure is 8,800 more than in July and 97,400 more than a year ago. Overall, the health sector increased in August to a seasonally adjusted 16,436,700 employees, representing an increase of 23,900 more than in July and 367,000 more than one year ago.
The report can be obtained at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm.
Today the Student Aid Alliance, of which ASAHP is a member, sent a letter to the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter encourages the Subcommittee to fund the federal student aid programs at the levels provided by the House of Representatives in H.R. 2740.
The letter may be accessed here.
Following the implementation of the ACA, the individual health insurance market grew rapidly. A new analysis measures changes in enrollment in the individual market before and after the ACA’s coverage expansions and market rules went into effect in 2014 through the first quarter of 2019.
The analysis can be obtained at https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/issue-brief/data-note-changes-in-enrollment-in-the-individual-health-insurance-market-through-early-2019/.
Hospital Merger Benefits: Views from Hospital Leaders and Econometric Analysis – An Update, is a report from Charles River Associates that updates a 2017 report. The latest findings both reinforce and strengthen the previous report’s conclusions that hospital mergers can generate significant value for patients and their communities in the form of better care and reduced costs.
The report can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/2019-09-04-charles-river-associates-report-hospital-merger-benefits.
A survey brief from the Commonwealth Fund discusses who the uninsured are following enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and what it is that is preventing them from obtaining coverage?
The brief can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Gunja_who_are_remaining_uninsured_sb.pdf.
While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a substantial responsibility in advancing the health of the nation, other federal departments and agencies also can have a significant impact on disease prevention and health promotion. Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a strategy that considers the factors that influence health across all levels of policymaking to improve health outcomes. A report from the Bipartisan Policy Center explores how the U.S. Department of Education (ED), U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury), and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) currently implement a HiAP approach and how these departments can build on these efforts.
The report can be obtained at https://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Health-in-All-Policies.pdf.
As students return to campus, the Pew Research Center reports that new survey results show that only half of Americans think colleges and universities are having a positive effect on the way things are going in the U.S. these days, and 61% indicate that the higher education system is moving in the wrong direction.
The report can be obtained at https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/the-growing-partisan-divide-in-views-of-higher-education/?utm_campaign=2019-08-28+Rundown&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Pew.
A blog appearing in the journal Health Affairs features observations and reflections from 10 health experts from seven other countries on U.S. health care.
Some candidates for higher office claim that making public college tuition “free” is a good idea, but free college might have a smaller impact on student debt than many expect, according to a blog from the Urban Institute.
The blog can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/free-college-does-not-eliminate-student-debt.
According to a brief from the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, as health costs rise, enrollees in large employer plans face higher health spending both through rising premium contributions and increased cost-sharing when they use services. On average, health spending by families with large employer health plans has increased two times faster than workers’ wages over the last decade. This increase has been driven in part by rising deductibles.
The brief can be obtained at https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/tracking-the-rise-in-premium-contributions-and-cost-sharing-for-families-with-large-employer-coverage/.
