Newswire Archives
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is seeking applicants for their 2020-21 Health Policy Fellows Program. Fellows reside in Washington, D.C. for 12 months and work in congressional or executive branch offices. The application deadline is November 6th.
More info and application is available here.
A Statistics in Brief report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) focuses on two groups of low-income undergraduate students enrolled in U.S. postsecondary institutions in 2015–16: very low- and low-income students, defined as those whose family incomes fell below 50% and between 50 and 100%, respectively, of the federal poverty level for their family size. The report compares these students’ demographic and enrollment characteristics, financial aid, and price of attendance with those of students whose family incomes were above the federal poverty level.
The report can be obtained at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020460.pdf.
The Medicare Shared Savings Program generated $739.4 million in total net savings across 548 accountable care organizations in 2018, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Participating ACOs agree to be held accountable for the quality, cost, and experience of care of an assigned Medicare fee-for-service beneficiary population, and can participate at different levels of risk.
More information can be obtained at https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20190930.702342/full/.
The annual survey of employers by The Kaiser Family Foundation provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, offer rates, wellness programs, and employer practices. The 2019 survey included 2,012 interviews with non-federal public and private firms.
The results of the survey can be obtained at http://files.kff.org/attachment/Report-Employer-Health-Benefits-Annual-Survey-2019.
On Thursday, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee introduced an eight-bill package of bipartisan proposals to begin Higher Education Act reauthorization, the “Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019”. He hopes to attach an additional three bills at a later date. The introduction of this package was met with opposition from the Committee’s Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), who prefers a comprehensive HEA reauthorization proposal rather than piecemeal bills.
The text of the legislation may be accessed here:
The press release may be accessed here.
Chairman Alexander’s prepared floor remarks may be accessed here.
The youth of today represents the higher education student pool of tomorrow. In urban districts, the more black and Hispanic students attend charter schools, the greater the achievement gain is for those students of color in the entire district, according to a new Fordham Institute study. The relationship between charter school "market share" and student achievement for all children in a district is examined.
The study can be obtained at file:///C:/Users/thoma/Downloads/20190926-rising-tide-charter-school-market-share-and-student-achievement-1.pdf.
A continuing resolution was approved today by the U.S. Senate on a vote of 82-15 to fund the federal government through November 21. The measure delays impending Medicaid cuts, among other provisions. The legislation was passed by the House last week and now will go to President Trump for his signature.
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends actions for health care systems, government agencies, and others to integrate patients’ social needs into health care delivery more effectively.
The report can be obtained at http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2019/integrating-social-care-into-the-delivery-of-health-care.
Medicare has made it a priority to develop and use measures of health care quality that address key aspects of care while minimizing the data reporting burden on providers, but according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), it is not always clear that Medicare’s measures address its priorities. Recommendations are made to ensure Medicare’s priorities drive its quality measurement activities.
The report can be accessed at https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/701512.pdf.
Today, the Ways and Means Committee released a report, finding that U.S. drug prices are nearly four times higher than the combined average of 11 other similar countries, and that Americans pay as much as 67 times more than consumers in other nations for prescription drugs, even when accounting for rebates.
The report can be obtained at https://waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/documents/U.S.%20vs.%20International%20Prescription%20Drug%20Prices_0.pdf.
The American workplace has changed profoundly over the past 40 years. Yet, nearly two decades into the 21st century, the U.S. approach to education, training, and workforce development still runs on a 20th-century model. So what can be done to create a system that will thrive in the 21st century and beyond? A new RAND report envisions a future focused on providing equitable and continuous access to training, and efficiently matching (and rematching) workers and jobs.
The report can be obtained at https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2768.html.
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.
