Improving College Access

According to a report from the Center for American Progress, new federal data show that the U.S. still fails miserably at providing equitable access to learning beyond high school, particularly involving socio-economic status (SES). Students from the lowest levels of SES enroll in college at a rate that’s 60% the level of their best-off peers.

The report can be obtained at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-postsecondary/news/2018/07/12/453210/new-federal-data-show-america-still-needs-improve-college-access/.

Paying For Value In Home- And Community-Based Services

As the US population ages, the demand for long-term care options has grown. Special focus has been on Medicaid programs, which pay for most long-term services and supports (LTSS). As public policy has shifted LTSS from institutional settings to home- and community-based settings, questions arise regarding how Medicaid agencies measure the quality of home- and community-based services (HCBS), how they pay for them, and how to encourage more cost-effective services. A new report from the Milbank Memorial Fund discusses these questions.

The report can be obtained at https://www.milbank.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/MMF-HCBS-Report-FINAL.pdf.

The Shape Of Health Reform In 2020

A report from the Commonwealth Fund describes the likely health care landscape leading up to 2020 and projects Republican and Democratic reform plans. Health care promises made on the campaign trail over the decades are relevant to the new administration's policy agenda.

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2018-06/Lambrew_getting_ready_hlt_reform_2020_presidential_0.pdf.

Hospitals Add Jobs In June

Employment at the nation's hospitals rose by 0.21% in June to a seasonally adjusted 5,175,800 workers, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The figure is 10,600 more than in May and 95,300 more than a year ago. Without the seasonal adjustment, which removes the effect of fluctuations due to seasonal events, hospitals employed 5,174,300 in June – 25,900 more than in May and 95,800 more than a year ago.

The report can be obtained at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm.

Federal Aid For Postsecondary Students

In 2017, the government financed roughly $100 billion in student loans and provided about $30 billion in grants and $30 billion in tax preferences. A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examines the impact of such aid and a number of approaches to changing it.

The report can be obtained at https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/115th-congress-2017-2018/reports/53736-postsecondarystudentaid.pdf.

Delivering Quality Health Services: A Global Imperative

Universal health coverage (UHC) aims to provide health security and universal access to essential care services without financial hardship to individuals, families and communities. A report from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) describes the current situation with regard to UHC and global quality of care, and outlines the steps governments, health services and their workers, together with citizens and patients need to urgently take.

The report can be obtained at https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/delivering-quality-health-services-a-global-imperative_9789264300309-en#page11.

HRSA FY 2019 Budget Request And Funding History

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides health care to individuals who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable. One of the five bureaus is the health workforce. A new fact sheet from the Congressional Research Office (CRS) focuses on the agency’s funding.

The fact sheet can be obtained at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R45245.pdf.

Trump Administration Encourages Race-Blind Admission Standards

The Trump administration will encourage the nation’s school superintendents and college presidents to adopt race-blind admissions standards, abandoning an Obama administration policy that called on universities to consider race as a factor in diversifying their campuses, Trump administration officials said. Last November, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked the Justice Department to re-evaluate past policies that he believed pushed the department to act beyond what the law, the Constitution and the Supreme Court had required, Devin M. O’Malley, a Justice Department spokesman said. As part of that process, the Justice Department rescinded seven policy guidances from the Education Department’s civil rights division on Tuesday.

The full New York Times article may be accessed here. 

Designing A Medicare Benefit Covering Home And Community-Based Services

Approximately one in five Medicare beneficiaries has serious physical or cognitive limitations that require personal care services and supports, but only low-income beneficiaries eligible for Medicaid can obtain them. A Commonwealth Fund report explores important considerations in offering home- and community-based services by examining Maryland's experience with Community First Choice.

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2018-06/Davis_designing_medicare_help_home_maryland_CFC_ib_v3.pdf.

Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill Moves Forward In U.S. Senate

The Senate Appropriations Committee on June 28, 2018 voted 30-1 to approve legislation that would provide $179.3 billion in discretionary funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in fiscal year 2019. The bill would provide $90.1 billion for HHS, with specific increases that include $2 billion more for the National Institutes of Health and $579 million more for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

A video of the committee hearing can be obtained at https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/full-committee-markup-of-the-defense-and-labor-h-appropriations-bills-for-fy2019.

Actions Needed to Mitigate Medicaid Improper Payments and Program Integrity Risks

The Medicaid program helped provide health care to an estimated 73 million individuals in fiscal 2017 at a cost of about $596 billion. A report from the Government Accountability Office [GAO] focuses on the major risks to the integrity of Medicaid. Efforts needed to strengthen oversight include: expansion of a national Medicaid data system that will allow comparisons across states, a national anti-fraud strategy, and greater collaboration between state and federal auditors.

The report can be obtained at https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/692821.pdf.

Senate Hearing On Reducing Health Care Costs

The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today held the first in a series of hearings on how to reduce health care costs, which will examine administrative costs and waste, how to improve transparency, private sector solutions, and other issues. Witnesses included representatives from the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Harvard Global Health Institute, Health Care Cost Institute, and Georgetown University Law Center.

Witness testimony can be obtained at https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/how-to-reduce-health-care-costs-understanding-the-cost-of-health-care-in-america.

Gaps In Student Default

Prior research shows that default rates vary by institution sector and by race/ethnicity. Black, non-Hispanic entrants, and for-profit entrants experience default at much higher rates than other students. A new report examines whether these disparities in default rates can be explained by other factors, what happens after a default, and whether it also varies by race or institution sector. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.brookings.edu/research/what-accounts-for-gaps-in-student-loan-default-and-what-happens-after/

Report To Congress On Medicaid And CHIP

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released its June 2018 Report to Congress, which focuses on the high cost of prescription drugs, the opioid epidemic, and implications for the growing trend of delivering long-term services and supports (LTSS) through managed care.

The report can be obtained at https://www.macpac.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/June-2018-Report-to-Congress-on-Medicaid-and-CHIP.pdf

White House Proposal To Reorganize The Federal Government

A new report from the White House recommends structural realignment of the executive branch, including renaming the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as the Department of Health and Public Welfare. Other changes call for moving three HHS research entities – the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research – to the National Institutes of Health.

The report can be obtained at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Government-Reform-and-Reorg-Plan.pdf.

Consumer And Provider Views On Virtual Care

Regardingthe benefits of virtual care, physicians and health care consumers agree that technology could improve access and increase convenience. But, according to a new survey by Deloitte, the findings show that consumers’ interest in virtual care outpaces physician adoption.

An infographic can be obtained at https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/multimedia/infographics/virtual-health-care-survey-infographic.html?id=us:2em:3na:4di4630:5awa:6di:062118&sfid=0033000001OcSbrAAF

ACA Marketplace Enrollment Rates In 2018

Enrollment in ACA insurance marketplaces was expected to decline in 2018, compared to 2017. Yet, 15 states actually saw higher enrollment while others did experience declines). To understand why these dual trends emerged, the Urban Institute interviewed state officials, insurers, and other key players in five states (Rhode Island, Washington, New York, West Virginia, Louisiana).

The results of the interviews can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98650/marketplace2018_2001877.pdf.

Fall 2018 IPEC Institute Announcement

The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) is holding its 15th faculty development institute focused on Advancing & Sustaining Your Program for Collaborative Practice on October 3-5, 2018 at the Sheraton Crescent Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Faculty teams are invited to come together for dedicated time to advance actionable plans for implementing projects that further interprofessional curricula, clinical training and population health experiences, and student assessment.

The agenda and registration link may be accessed here.

U.S. Department of Education Plans Accreditation Experimentation

The U.S. Department of Education is preparing to take a “deep dive” into accreditation, Diane Auer Jones, a special adviser to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, said Tuesday. Jones said that current regulations are hampering colleges’ efforts to offer non-degree-level credentials. The department announced earlier this year that it is planning to amend federal rules related to accrediting agencies and accreditation procedures through negotiated rule making. Notice of the public hearings for this process will come out in the Federal Register this summer, said Jones. “We take these public hearings very seriously, and we want you to come to these hearings with ideas,” she said.

The full Inside Higher Ed article may be accessed here. 

How To Build An Analytics-Driven Campus

In an effort to understand how higher education leaders plan to use analytics and what is preventing them from implementing enterprise analytics programs, a survey was conducted of 200 presidents, provosts, CFOs, and CIO/CTOs from four-year, two-year, public and private institutions.

Survey results can be obtained at https://www.ellucian.com/White-Papers/What-will-it-take-to-build-an-analytics-driven-campus-Ovum/.