Blogs / Reports
FEATURED ARTICLE
Should We Re-Invent State Health Planning and Certificate-of-Need Programs?
/in COVID-19 State Action Center Blogs, Featured News Home Consumer Affordability, COVID-19, Health System Costs, Hospital/Health System Oversight, Making the Case for Action, Population Health /by Johanna Butler, Trish Riley and Ellen SchneiterCOVID-19 has profoundly affected the health care landscape, raising anew concerns about the high cost of hospitalizations while simultaneously placing new burdens on those facilities and curtailing non-emergency services. Providers, unable to see patients for routine care, lost revenue and many free-standing physician practices are now at risk, and now face increasing pressure to merge […]
COVID-19 Testing Is Critical, but Lacks Federal Guidelines and Protocols
/in COVID-19 State Action Center Blogs, Featured News Home Consumer Affordability, COVID-19, Health System Costs, Making the Case for Action, Population Health /by Allie Atkeson and Maureen Hensley-QuinnThe importance of COVID-19 testing is clear, especially as new cases climb dramatically, reversing earlier successes at controlling the spread of the disease. Lack of a coordinated, federally-led testing initiative and protocols has prompted questions about how often testing should occur, whether both symptomatic and asymptomatic should be tested, and who should pay for it, and in what circumstance. As states […]
New Jersey’s Project ECHO Builds Provider Capacity to Support Maternal and Child Health during COVID-19
/in Policy New Jersey Blogs, Featured News Home COVID-19, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health IT/Data, Infant Mortality, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health, Workforce Capacity /by Eddy FernandezConfronted with a pandemic that impacts the health of women and children – ranging from pregnancy and delivery to access to substance abuse treatment – a consortium of New Jersey state and health care experts launched a Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) initiative to share COVID-19 expertise between specialists and primary care to […]
Family Caregiving Council Receives Public Input and Expertise to Create Recommendations
/in The RAISE Act Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center Blogs, Featured News Home Council Meeting Materials and Resources, The RAISE Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center /by Paige Spradlin, Salom Teshale and Wendy Fox-GrageThe Family Caregiving Advisory Council held its third full council meeting on May 20 and 21, 2020, to hear presentations on key topic areas, including family leave, respite care, research and data, and an analysis of the input received from the Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) request for information. The council also refined its Driver Diagram to identify […]
CMS Proposes Rule to Support Value-Based Purchasing for Drugs
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Administrative Actions, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Prescription Drug Pricing, State Employee Health Plans, Value-Based Purchasing /by Jennifer ReckThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new rule with provisions designed to advance value-based purchasing (VBP) arrangements with drug manufacturers. Comments about the proposal are due July 20, 2020.
With Federal Funding Fragmented, States Develop COVID-19 Testing Programs for the Uninsured
/in COVID-19 State Action Center Blogs, Featured News Home Consumer Affordability, COVID-19, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Medicaid Expansion, Population Health /by Anita Cardwell and Trish RileyAs states loosen restrictions on stay-at-home orders, many are struggling to establish clear and consistent COVID-19 testing protocols to support individuals’ safe return to work and school and identify ways to pay for increased testing. Absent federal guidance, there is significant debate about who is responsible for funding testing – insurers argue a test must be medically necessary and employers […]
States Engage Community Health Workers to Combat COVID-19 and Health Inequities
/in COVID-19 State Action Center Blogs, Featured News Home Community Health Workers, COVID-19, Health Equity, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Elinor HigginsAs recent data shows, COVID-19’s infection and death rates illustrate the profound racial and ethnic disparities in the nation’s health care system and the social and economic inequalities that affect health outcomes. To curb COVID-19 and improve the quality of care delivered to communities that have faced decades of discrimination, a few states are bolstering […]
How Waste-Free Formularies Create Savings on Prescription Drugs
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Administrative Actions, Consumer Affordability, Health System Costs, Prescription Drug Pricing /by Jennifer ReckRemoving wasteful drugs from formularies and replacing them with drugs that offer the same benefits at a lower cost, helps state employee health plans and other public purchasers reduce spending without sacrificing value – a critical strategy for savings as states face tremendous budget pressures.
Proposed IRS Rule Would Incentivize Health Care Sharing Ministries and Direct Primary Care Arrangements
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Consumer Affordability, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs /by Christina CousartLast week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a proposed rule that would for the first time allow tax deductions for money spent for certain health care programs and arrangements, including direct primary care arrangements and health care sharing ministries.
State-Based Marketplace Leaders Ask for Federal Reinforcement of Insurance Markets during COVID-19
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home COVID-19, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Population Health, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHP StaffOn June 5, 2020, executive directors from 14 state-based insurance marketplaces (SBM) sent a letter to Congressional leaders voicing support for federal efforts to reinforce insurance markets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
States’ COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declarations and Mask Requirements
/in COVID-19 State Action Center Charts, Featured News Home, Maps COVID-19, Featured Policy Home, Health Equity, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by NASHP Staff and Ella Roth