Newswire Archives
A provisional set of web tables from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) presents fully edited and imputed data findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) winter data collection, including data on graduation rates for selected cohorts, outcome measures, student financial aid, and admissions.
Data can be obtained at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data/survey-components.
ASAHP, a member of the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC), joined sixty members of the coalition in urging congressional appropriators to fund the HRSA Title VII health professions and Title VIII programs at $690 million for FY 2020. The Senate has proposed $633.5 million while the House proposed $680 million earlier this summer.
The letter may be accessed here.
In week four (November 17-23) of the 2020 Open Enrollment, 703,556 individuals selected plans using the HealthCare.gov platform. As in past years, enrollment weeks are measured Sunday through Saturday. Consequently, the cumulative totals reported in this snapshot reflect one fewer day than last year.
An article published today in the Harvard Business Review by Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal discusses how Google’s move into patient information as a result of a recent agreement with Ascension, a huge national health system, is yet another sign of how the digital revolution is transforming health care.
The article can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2019/why-googles-move-patient-information-big-deal.
Individuals in the United States contend with more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections a year. More than 35,000 die as a result, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency produced an update of its first analysis in 2013 of antibiotic resistance in the U.S. that outlines the top 18 resistant pathogens and evaluates progress in the fight against super bugs.
The report can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/pdf/threats-report/2019-ar-threats-report-508.pdf.
President Trump on November 21 signed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through December 20, 2019 and delay impending Medicaid cuts, among other provisions. Federal funding for fiscal year 2019 expired on September 30 of this year.
The CR can be obtained at https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3055.
In a report from the RAND Corporation, authors analyze how allowing adults ages 50 and older to buy into the Medicare program could affect health insurance coverage, individual market premiums, and federal health care spending.
The report can be obtained at https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR4246.html?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=RAND%20Policy%20Currents+AEM:%20%20Email%20Address%20NOT%20LIKE%20DOTMIL&utm_campaign=AEM:631600804.
Last week, a federal appeals court heard oral arguments in a case concerning the regulation of association health plans (AHPs), insurance that business or professional associations offer their members. The case hinges on whether AHPs, which the Trump administration is trying to make more widely available, are governed under the rules that apply to small-group or large-group plans, and whether AHPs can aggregate a group of small employers to create a large group.
Important questions are identified in a publication from the Commonwealth Fund that can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2019/dc-circuit-judges-hear-oral-arguments-association-health-plans-case.
The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 231-192 to approve a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through December 20. The Senate is expected to vote on the legislation before the current CR expires on November 21.
Today’s CR can be obtained at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hr3055eas/pdf/BILLS-116hr3055eas.pdf.
Preventing adverse experiences in childhood can lead to improved health outcomes in later stages of life, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Protecting children from exposure to violence, abuse, or growing up around individuals with mental health or substance use problems can help reduce chronic diseases, risky health behaviors, and socio-economic challenges later in life.
A CDC report can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/pdfs/mm6844e1-H.pdf.
“The Status Quo is Unacceptable” is the title of a presentation made by David J. Skorton, President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, at Learn Serve Lead 2019, the association’s 130th annual meeting in Phoenix, AZ on November 10, 2019.
The presentation can be obtained at https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2019-11/2019%20LSL%20David%20Skorton%20Speech%20The%20Status%20Quo%20is%20Unacceptable.pdf.
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the gap between rural and urban Americans who die from preventable causes has widened across many conditions between 2010-2017.
The report can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/ss/pdfs/ss6810a1-H.pdf.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the U.S. Public Health Service has an updated version of its Strategic Plan. The agency is renewing its message of cooperation to its many partners to deliver health care to individuals most in need.
The Strategic Plan can be obtained at https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/about/strategic-plan/HRSA-strategic-plan-2019-2022.pdf.
More than 177,000 individuals selected a 2020 health plan through HealthCare.gov November 1-2, the first two days of open enrollment, according to an announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today. Nearly three-quarters of those selecting plans were renewing coverage and the rest were new consumers. Thirty-eight states are using HealthCare.gov for 2020 open enrollment, which runs through December 15.
More information can be obtained at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/federal-health-insurance-exchange-weekly-enrollment-snapshot-week-1.
Health benefit cost will top $13,000 per employee this year, according to an annual Mercer survey. The average total health benefit cost per employee grew 3.0% to reach $13,046, following a rise of 3.6% in 2018. It is the eighth consecutive year of health benefit cost growth in the low single digits, and employers expect cost to rise at a similar pace next year. Cost increases continue to outpace overall inflation, however, and health benefit cost management remains an imperative for most organizations.
Additional information an be obtained at https://www.mercer.com/newsroom/mercer-survey-finds-us-employers-shifting-to-innovative-strategies-to-make-healthcare-more-affordable-for-more-employees.html.
Today begins the 30-day preview period for hospitals to see the data that will be publicly reported on Hospital Compare next year. As part of the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting (IPFQR), Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR), Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), and Prospective Payment System (PPS)-Exempt Cancer Hospitals Quality Reporting (PCHQR) programs, hospitals have 30 days to preview their data prior to public reporting on Hospital Compare. As part of this preview, hospitals (excluding cancer hospitals) also will see an updated Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating that will be publicly reported on Hospital Compare next year.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education published their final regulations on state authorization and accreditation. The regulations, based on the negotiated rulemaking session which found consensus in April, will take effect July 1, 2020. The rule preserves state receiprocity under NC-SARA.
More information is available here.
The U.S. Department of Education press release is available here.
The NC-SARA press release is available here.
The regulations are available here.
A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce explores how the distribution of good jobs across educational attainment levels varies by race and ethnicity.
The report can be obtained at https://1gyhoq479ufd3yna29x7ubjn-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/Full_Report-The_Unequal_Race_for_Good_Jobs.pdf.
Today the House Education and Labor Committee advanced H.R. 4674, the College Affordability Act, by a party line 28-22 vote on the third day of its committee markup which saw numerous amendments considered. The Democratic bill would reauthorize the Higher Education Act and incorporates more than 30 proposals.
Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), said, “a quality, college degree remains the surest path to financial security and a rewarding career. Accordingly, we must fulfill the promise of making higher education affordable for all students. The College Affordability Act is a comprehensive bill that will immediately lower the cost of college while putting a down payment on investments that we need to make in the future. I applaud my colleagues for their work on behalf of student and families, and I look forward to bringing this legislation to the House Floor.”
Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC), said, “Students and families can no longer afford the status quo. The same tired idea of throwing more money into the existing system and hoping that this time things will be different is the very definition of insanity. Government overreach and unnecessary intervention has contributed to a bloated postsecondary education sector at the expense of students. My Democrat friends across the aisle seem to have missed this lesson and instead double down on this failing notion. A representative of the higher education sector has weighed in and said that the so-called College Affordability Act will ‘increase the cost of doing business for most institutions.’ Republicans know – and Democrats should know – that this cost won’t be borne by schools, but like any other business will instead get passed to consumers in the form of higher tuition and fees. We can do better.”
More information may be accessed here and here.
ASAHP’s detailed summaries can be found for each day: Day 1 and Day 2 (including Day 3 vote counts).
On Wednesday, the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act was introduced in the Senate. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), authorizes a new $5 million per year grant program to increase educational opportunities in the professions of physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, and speech language pathology.
“Having a diverse, abundant and well-trained health care workforce is essential to improving quality of care. In order to ensure our health care delivery system is successful, we must make allied health training programs as successful as possible. A characteristic of a successful program is a diverse student body. This is why I am proud to co-sponsor this legislation which will work towards creating a truly diverse field of allied health professionals,” said Sen. Casey.
“As the nation struggles with healthcare provider shortages, perhaps no one feels that more than rural areas such as Alaska. Across our state, our communities could benefit from a more robust workforce, particularly in fields such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech language pathology, and audiology,” said Sen. Murkowski.
On Monday the House passed the EMPOWER for Health Act of 2019, a Title VII HRSA health professions workforce reauthorization bill which included the House’s version of the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act.
The Senate legislation may be accessed here.
