Medicaid Drives Growth In Federal Grants To States

According to a report from The Pew Charitable Trusts released in February 2020, states derive roughly one-third of their revenue from the federal government, funding that pays for health care, schools, roads, public safety, and other services. Since 2008, those grants have increased by 42 percent from $448 billion to $636 billion, adjusted for inflation, driven by rising Medicaid costs. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/02/medicaiddrivesgrowthfederalgrantsstates.pdf.

CMS Administrator’s Remarks At AMA Conference

Today, CMS Administrator Seema Verma spoke at the American Medical Association National Advocacy Conference. Her presentation included remarks about health care cost containment, the Medicare Advantage Program, and prior authorization.

Her remarks can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/speech-remarks-cms-administrator-seema-verma-american-medical-association-national-advocacy.

Trump Administration Releases FY 2021 Budget Request

Today, the Administration submitted to Congress the budget request for fiscal year 2021. A non-binding document, it specifies key priorities for the nation that involve prioritizing spending for programs that are a core function of the U.S. government.

The budget request can be obtained at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/budget_fy21.pdf.

An Overview of The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2020 to 2030

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the federal budget deficit in 2020 will be $1.0 trillion, or 4.6% of gross domestic product (GDP). If current laws governing federal taxes and spending generally did not change, the projected gap between outlays and revenues would increase to 5.4% of GDP in 2030. Federal debt held by the public would rise over the coming decade, from 81% of GDP in 2020 to 98% of GDP in 2030.

A new slide presentation by CBO officials can be obtained at https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2020-02/56108-CBO-presentation.pdf.

Call for Abstracts for Nexus Summit 2020

The 2020 Nexus Summit taking place August 23-26 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis is now calling for abstracts. The conference themes for this year include

  • Optimizing the interprofessional clinical learning environment and culture

  • Leadership and mentorship for IPE

  • Centering IPE around people/patients, families, caregivers, and communities

  • Evaluation, assessment and the use of informatics in IPE

Visit their website for more information and to submit an abstract once the submission portal opens on February 12.

Mortality In The United States, 2018

A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) presents final 2018 U.S. mortality data on deaths and death rates by demographic and medical characteristics. These data provide information on mortality patterns among U.S. residents by variables such as sex, age, race and Hispanic origin, and cause of death. Life expectancy estimates, 10 leading causes of death, age-specific death rates, and 10 leading causes of infant death were analyzed by comparing 2018 and 2017 final data.

The report can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db355-h.pdf.

New Model Proposed For Funding Medicaid

The Trump administration announced a new model for funding Medicaid that will allow states to apply for “capped funding,” which also is commonly known as a block grant. A posting from the Commonwealth Fund discusses what the change will mean for Medicaid, the states, and beneficiaries. While states will have more program flexibility, coverage and access to care may be at risk.

The posting can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/what-does-new-block-grant-guidance-mean-medicaid-program.

Understanding Equity Gaps In College Graduation

Policies and practices throughout the educational pipeline harm the educational attainment of black and Hispanic Americans. A paper from the Urban Institute involves the use of administrative data from Virginia and Connecticut colleges to examine graduation rate gaps within colleges, finding that even after adjusting for precollege student characteristics, gaps remain stubbornly high at many institutions. 

The paper can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/101638/understanding_equity_gaps_in_college_graduation.pdf.

National Task Force On Transfer Of Credit Launched

The American Council on Education (ACE) announced the creation of a national task force focused on improving transfer and award of credit practices to spur student success and reduce the time it takes to graduate. A 2018 snapshot from National Student Clearinghouse data found that 38% of the 2.8 million entering college for the first time in fall 2011 transferred to a different institution at least once within six years. As they transfer, many lose academic credit. The aim is to produce a report for release in early 2021 that contains best practices and emerging strategies for improving the transfer and award of credit.

 

Work Requirements Under The Medicaid Program

Some states have implemented requirements for working-age adults to spend a certain number of hours working as a condition of having Medicaid coverage. An opinion piece from the Commonwealth Fund explores the growing uncertainty over these requirements amid growing evidence that they involve enormous administrative costs and cause individuals to lose health coverage.  

The opinion piece can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/medicaid-1115-work-experiments-current-state-play.

Updated Quality Information Including Star Ratings On Hospital Compare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today updated the overall hospital quality star ratings at Hospital Compare and data.medicare.gov as part of the quarterly refresh of the website’s data. Hospital Compare is one of nine CMS Compare websites.

Star ratings of hospitals can be obtained at https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html.

Employee Share Of Healthcare Premiums

According to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey—Insurance Component 2018 Chartbook, among private-sector establishments offering health insurance in 2018, enrolled employees paid 21.3% of the premium for single coverage, 27.1% for employee-plus-one coverage, and 27.8% for family coverage.

Survey results can be obtained at https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/cb23/cb23.shtml.

Burden Of Health Care Payments Among Americans With Lowest Incomes

Higher-income American households pay the most to finance the nation's health care system, but the burden of payments as a share of income is greatest among households with the lowest incomes, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study can be obtained at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1475-6773.13258.

Unfunded Health Care Liabilities Leave States And Taxpayers At Risk

Today, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released a report on unfunded liabilities. Beyond public pensions, state governments offer retired public employees other post-employment benefits (OPEB), such as health insurance. Currently, total state unfunded OPEB liabilities exceed $1 trillion (e.g., California $166 billion+, New Jersey $129 billion+, and New York $128 billion+).

The report can be obtained at https://www.alec.org/app/uploads/2020/01/OPEB-Web.pdf.

HRSA Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Health Resources and Services Administration is now taking applications for its Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships program. The program aims to increase the number of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists providing care, especially to rural and underserved populations. The closing date for applications is March 6, 2020. Estimated total program funding is $2,250,000 and 80 grant awards are expected.

More information may be accessed here.

HRSA Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Health Resources and Services Administration is now taking applications for its Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students grants program. The program promotes diversity among the health professions by providing awards to health professions and nursing schools, for schools to provide scholarships to full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have a demonstrated financial need. The closing date for applications is March 3, 2020. Estimated total program funding is $48.2 million and 79 grant awards are expected.

More information may be accessed here.

Affordable Care Act And Racial Disparities

According to a data brief released by the Commonwealth Fund, the ACA’s coverage expansions have led to historic reductions in racial disparities in access to health care since 2013, but progress has stalled since 2016. Insurance coverage disparities between white adults and black adults and Hispanics were reduced more in states that expanded Medicaid than in states that did not. 

The data brief can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Baumgartner_ACA_racial_ethnic_disparities_db.pdf.

Addressing Health Care Market Consolidation And High Prices

A report from the Urban Institute explores a wide range of policy options that attempt to introduce needed competition in provider markets and regulate prices directly. An argument is made that transparency initiatives will support both regulatory and competition-based policy options, and certain approaches to regulation complement and support efforts to improve market competition. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/101508/addressing_health_care_market_consolidation_and_high_prices_1.pdf.