A new report from the Commonwealth Fund analyzes the role of interdisciplinary healthcare teams in expanding access to primary care.
The report studied teams made up of pharmacists, social workers, nurses and nurse practitioners working within a primary care setting with the aim of improving care and lowering costs for patients with depression, disabilities, and other conditions that have traditionally been difficult to treat in primary care. The model was found to be successful, but the report concludes that additional support from federal and state policymakers will be needed in order to quickly implement this and similar models around the country.
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A new report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic studies identifies how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will make strides towards reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health.
According to the report, healthcare reform is an “important first step and an unprecedented opportunity” in reducing well-documented inequalities in health outcomes and access to health care. Studies have consistently shown significant disparities in diverse communities’ life expectancy, infant mortality, insurance coverage, and other indicators of health.
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The organization Grantmakers in Health has issued a report examining the response of private grantmakers and philanthropy organizations to healthcare reform. The report analyzes new opportunities and challenges for these organizations, which are responsible for funding many activities related to healthcare. It also includes recommendations for funders as they consider work around healthcare reform implementation.
Of particular interest to community behavioral health providers, the report also includes a section outlining the grant opportunities available under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. See Appendix 2 of the report (p. 42-52).
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In 2011, fewer low-income seniors will be automatically switched into new Medicare Part D plans, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In 2010, 800,000 seniors qualifying for the low-income subsidy (LIS) were automatically moved into new plans to avoid paying a premium. This year, CMS anticipates that 500,000 will be reassigned to new plans.
Those who are reassigned will receive more information this year than they have in previous years about how the change will affect their drug coverage. In early November, LIS beneficiaries will receive a statement comparing their prospective zero-premium reassignment plan with their current plan, along with instructions on how to remain in their current plan if they choose. In December, reassigned beneficiaries will receive a second notice identifying which of their prescription drugs are included in their new plan’s formulary, along with instructions on how to appeal or file a grievance.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a
State Medicaid Directors Letter providing guidance on how states may receive federal matching funds for their role in administering health information technology incentive payments to eligible providers in the Medicaid program.
The HITECH Act, which was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, provides states a 90% federal match rate for their activities related to overseeing and administering the HIT incentive payments (the incentive payments themselves are 100% federally funded). To receive the 90% match, states must meet certain requirements in the administration and oversight of Medicaid incentive payments. They must also work to encourage the adoption of certified electronic health records (EHR) and promote the electronic exchange of health information.
The SMDL includes a list of specific administrative and oversight activities that are eligible for the 90% match and provides criteria for initiatives encouraging the adoption of EHRs.
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In an Aug. 20 story, Kaiser Health News (KHN) reports on how healthcare reform will benefit individuals who are homeless. The article profiles a Baltimore woman who is uninsured and ineligible for Medicaid, yet suffers from several health conditions and has undergone expensive hospital treatments.
According to KHN:
These benefits and President Barack Obama’s recently announced plan to prevent and end homelessness mark a watershed moment in federal efforts on this issue, advocates say. Among its goals, the plan calls for greater coordination between existing housing, medical care and behavioral health programs to help end chronic homelessness in five years and homelessness for families and children over the next decade.
[...]But the new health law won’t eliminate some daunting obstacles to improving health care. Locating and enrolling homeless people in Medicaid will be a challenge. Many also suffer from chronic, complex medical conditions, including mental illness and addiction. Low reimbursement rates for some services may lead to problems with access to care.
Click here to read the full article and learn more about how healthcare reform will help people who are homeless.
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Under healthcare reform, Medicaid will expand to cover all individuals under 133% of poverty by 2014. Past experiences with implementing Medicare Part D and Massachusetts’ early experiment with healthcare reform suggest that without aggressive outreach and enrollment efforts, individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders (SUD) may remain uninsured despite being eligible for Medicaid. As states and mental health/SUD advocates plan for the Medicaid expansion, several new resources are available to assist with enrollment efforts:
The National Council has published a fact sheet with additional information for behavioral health providers on enrollment in the Medicaid expansion. More Medicaid enrollment resources can be found on MentalHealthcareReform.org.
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This month, Congress approved a 6-month extension of enhanced federal Medicaid assistance to states. The assistance, known as FMAP, was originally set to end on Dec. 31, 2010, but will now continue at a scaled-back rate through June 30, 2011.
However, there’s one catch – states wishing to take advantage of the FMAP extension must write a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services officially requesting the extended assistance. The governors of all states were notified of this requirement in a letter from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sibelius this week. The deadline for submitting requests is Sept. 24, 2010. Without submitting a letter of request, states will not be able to receive the extended Medicaid assistance.
Instructions for requesting the funds are available in this Informational Bulletin from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You can also read Secretary Sibelius’ letter online.
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"Now is not the time to rest on our laurels. With healthcare reform the law of the land, we must be