Newswire Archives
U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and civic journalism, in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna, announced the inaugural Healthiest Communities rankings. The new report evaluated nearly 3,000 communities nationwide across 10 categories, from education and population health to infrastructure and economy.
The rankings can be obtained at https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities.
A case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas about the individual mandate could open the door to ending the ACA. An analysis from the Urban Institute shows that if the entire law were eliminated, the number of uninsured individuals would increase by 17.1 million, or 50 percent, in 2019.
The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98634/aca-remains-critical_2001873_1.pdf.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will not update its overall hospital quality star ratings on Hospital Compare in July. CMS decided to postpone the ratings update to allow time for additional analysis of the impact of changes to some measures on the star ratings and to address concerns of affected parties. CMS will seek feedback from a multi-disciplinary technical expert panel, a provider leadership work group, and a public comment period.
The Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 influenced significant changes in American postsecondary education, according to a new report by the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of students enrolled in college in the United States increased from 2.4 million in 1955 to 19.1 million in 2015. From 2006 to 2011, total college enrollment grew by 3 million, contributing to the overall growth of postsecondary enrollment during the Great Recession period.
The report can be obtained at https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p20-580.html?eml=gd&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions discussed the issue and potential solutions of drug prices. Providing more transparency for patients, lower drug prices, and prohibiting gag clauses were areas of bipartisan agreement. Specific topics discussed were drug rebates, how HHS is handling refugee children, drug negotiations, and drug pricing transparency. Committee Democrats acknowledged that there are ideas in the President’s blueprint that they could agree with.
Full memo can be accessed here.
A new report from the education research group, Third Way, provides an extensive review of completion initiatives across a spectrum of institutions. Using IPEDs data, the report shows that almost 600 of the nation’s approximately 3,000 four-year campuses report that less than one-third of their freshmen earned a four-year bachelor’s degree in six years.
The report can be obtained at http://thirdway.imgix.net/pdfs/completion-reforms-that-work-how-leading-college-are-improving-the-attainment-of-high-value-degrees.pdf.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) released a new resource highlighting the importance of addressing the social determinants of health. The PowerPoint presentation includes an overview of the social determinants of health, which include housing, food, education, transportation, violence, social support, employment, and health behaviors.
As average life spans have lengthened, age is no longer the best measure to compare well-being and behavior between different generations. A report from the Urban Institute proposes two alternative measures of “age” based on life expectancy that can provide better insights into the conditions and future needs of older adults.
The report can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98523/how_alternative_measures_of_age_can_affect_research_conclusions_1.pdf.
This week the House Education and the Workforce Committee held hearings examining the policies and priorities of the Department of Education and separately of the Department of Health and Human Services. Secretary Betsy DeVos and Secretary Alex Azar, respectively, provided testimony.
ASAHP's memo on the Sec. DeVos hearing may be accessed here. ASAHP's memo on the Sec. Azar hearing may be accessed here.
The U.S. system of graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has served the nation and its science and engineering enterprise. Continuous, dramatic innovations in research methods and technologies, changes in the nature and availability of work, shifts in demographics, and expansions in the scope of occupations needing STEM expertise raise questions about how well the current STEM graduate education system is meeting the full array of 21st century needs. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a new report that provides recommendations to advance graduate STEM education.
The report can be obtained at https://www.nap.edu/login.php?record_id=25038&page=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nap.edu%2Fdownload%2F25038.
The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will have sufficient funds to cover its obligations until 2026, three years earlier than projected last year, according to the latest annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees. The projected 75-year actuarial deficit in the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is 0.82% of taxable payroll, up from 0.64% in last year’s report. Medicare’s total costs under current law will rise steadily from their current level of 3.7% of gross domestic product in 2017 to 5.9% in 2042.
The report can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/Downloads/TR2018.pdf.
A study snapshot outlines findings from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded research examining manufacturing companies’ philanthropic giving and the impact on health improvement.
The study snapshot can be obtained at http://www.academyhealth.org/sites/default/files/ah_study_snapshot_investments_may_2018.pdf
While the expanded use of hospice in recent years is helping to better meet the needs of these patients, Medicare limits hospice benefits to those with a life expectancy of less than six months. A post from the Commonwealth Fund discusses advanced illness management programs, which seek to fill the gap in end-of-life care for patients who need help earlier.
The post can be obtained at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/blog/2018/may/advanced-illness-management.
Medicaid expansion has brought health coverage to many low-income, childless adults who previously didn’t qualify for public insurance programs. A new Commonwealth Fund issue brief examines the complex needs of this population in Minnesota, one of the handful of states that opted to broaden Medicaid eligibility prior to the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of the program in 2014.
The issue brief can be obtained at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/files/publications/issue-brief/2018/may/shippee_complex_needs_mn_medicaid_expansion_ib.pdf.
The Condition of Education is a congressionally mandated annual report summarizing important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The 2018 report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) presents 47 indicators on topics ranging from prekindergarten through postsecondary education, as well as labor force outcomes and international comparisons. Also included in the report are three Spotlight indicators that provide more in-depth analyses on selected topics.
The report can be obtained at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018144.pdf.
According to a Labor Brief from the Altarum Institute, the health care sector added 24,400 new jobs in April 2018, consistent with the 12-month average of 25,500 new jobs per month, but enough to propel the health share of total U.S. jobs to 10.76%, a new all-time high. Hospitals added 8,000 jobs in April, and ambulatory settings such as physician offices and home health added 16,900 new jobs. While health job growth appears to have stabilized at around 2%, compared to 1.5% for non-health jobs, the share of health sector jobs continues its relentless upward trend, mirroring the growth in the health spending share of GDP.
The Labor Brief can be obtained at https://altarum.org/sites/default/files/uploaded-related-files/SHSS-Labor-Brief_May_2018.pdf.
During the annual membership meeting of the American Hospital Association (AHA), hospital and health systems leaders shared affordability strategies at a panel discussion. Ways of doing so include using data and reexamining pricing and managing risk to make health care more efficient and affordable.
A video of the panel discussion can be can be viewed at https://www.aha.org/news/insights-and-analysis/2018-05-29-hospital-and-health-system-leaders-share-affordability.
Last year alone, more than 900,000 low-income students who applied for and were found eligible for state financial aid for college never received it because states ran out of money, according to a new analysis of data by The Hechinger Report. The number is likely much higher and it’s not just a few states that have a severe shortage. In ten states. More than half of eligible students didn’t receive a grant.
More information can be obtained at http://hechingerreport.org/eligible-for-financial-aid-almost-one-third-of-students-never-get-it/.
Despite growing interest in cloud storage and applications, many healthcare organizations are holding back due to concerns about compliance, security, and privacy, according to a new Datica survey of hospital CIOs. In all, 17.7% of respondents said their organizations have more than half of their existing software infrastructure remotely hosted or in the cloud and 15% said a quarter to half of their infrastructure is cloud-based. Nearly a third (32%) called cloud hosting for existing applications a top five priority while 60% ranked it as a top 10 priority.
A report about the survey can be obtained at http://www.prweb.com/pdfdownload/15509052.pdf.
After a decline in budget deficits over the past several years, the deficit is projected to increase significantly in FY2019, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. Each fiscal year, Congress and the President engage in a number of activities that influence short- and long run revenue and expenditure trends. This report offers context for the current budget debate and tracks legislative events related to the federal budget.
The report can be obtained at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R45202.pdf.
