2013
California's Uninsured: By the Numbers
DEC 19, 2013 | California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) | REPORT
California's Uninsured: By the Numbers provides a look at California's uninsured population before full implementation of the ACA.
Monitoring Performance: A Dashboard of Medi-Cal Managed Care
DEC 18, 2013 | California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) | REPORT
This first public performance dashboard of Medi-Cal managed care shows areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
Long-Term Care Services in the United States: 2013 Overview
DEC 12, 2013 | National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) | REPORT
The National Center for Health Statistics released a 93-page report based on findings from the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP). The study considered long-term care services provided by adult day services centers, home health agencies, hospices, nursing homes, and assisted living and similar residential care communities. The key goals of the periodic study are to:
Estimate the supply of paid, regulated long-term care services providers
Estimate key policy-relevant characteristics of these providers
Estimate the number of long-term care services users
Estimate key policy-relevant characteristics of these users
Compare provider sectors
Produce national and state estimates, where feasible
Monitor trends over time
Medicaid Expansion in California: Opportunities and Challenges for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
NOV 2013 | Justice in Aging | ISSUE BRIEF
A new NSCLC issue brief provides an overview of new coverage options and how they impact low-income older adults and people with disabilities. The brief also explores how people receiving coverage under Medicaid expansion and exchanges will transition into Medicare coverage when they turn 65 or otherwise become eligible. While the issue brief focuses on how these issues play out in California, much of the information is relevant to advocates and policymakers in other states as well.
Health Information Technology in California: Milestones and Miles to Go
NOV 2013 | California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) | REPORT
This report shows interest continues to grow among Californians in using technology to support their health care needs, with 60% saying they would like online access to their health information. Similar percentages want the ability to schedule appointments online, receive appointment reminders, and email their medical professionals.
Health Care in the Two Americas: Findings from the Scorecard on State Health System Performance for Low-Income Populations, 2013
SEP 2013 | The Commonwealth Fund | SCORECARD
Of all the challenges we face in health care, variation in system performance and disparities in health outcomes are among the most persistent and troubling. The Commonwealth Fund's new Scorecard on State Health System Performance for Low-Income Populations, 2013 sheds light on these problems and identifies opportunities for states to improve their health systems for economically disadvantaged populations.
New HIPAA Privacy Policies and Procedures Manual
SEP 2013 | CAADS | Regulatory Alert | ORDER FORM
On September 23, ALL Adult Day Health Care / CBAS facilities that are subject to the HIPAA privacy and security rules must come into compliance with the “HIPAA Omnibus Rule” which implements changes required by the HITECH Act of 2009. Any facility engaging in electronic transmission of protected health information is included. Failure to have internal guidelines in place that comply with the new Rule can lead to fines and other sanctions after September 23, 2013.
A fully updated Privacy Policies and Procedures Manual, designed to be easily customizable to your center, is available from CAADS. This manual replaces the previous CAADS HIPAA Policy and Procedures Manual in its entirety.
Long Term Care in California: Ready for Tomorrow's Seniors?
AUG 2013 | California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) | REPORT | LONG TERM CARE FACTS AND FIGURES (NOV 2009)
The leading edge of the baby-boom generation is beginning to flood California's long term care system. And the population of residents 65 and older is projected to triple by 2060. This report describes the state's supply and use of long term care services, including Medicare and Medicaid spending on services, and quality of care. The oversight and regulation of long term care services varies by provider, resulting in limited information — especially quality data — about assisted living facilities, personal care providers, and other home- and community-based services.
Also see: Long Term Care in California: Ready for Tomorrow's Seniors?
Pathways to Progress in Planning for Long-Term Care
AUG 13, 2013 | AP/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, with funding by The SCAN Foundation | SURVEY RESULTS
Langer Research Associates launched an in-depth analysis of the April 2013 AP/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Findings show that people who know where to get information on long-term care are more apt to prepare for those needs.
State-by-State Profiles on Direct-Care Workforce
AUG 2013 | PHI Data Center | WEB TOOL | CALIFORNIA'S PROFILE
This unique state-by-state web tool now includes standards for home health, personal care, and nursing aides. View California's profile of Workforce Size, Employment Projections, Wages, Health Coverage, Public Assistance, Training, Legislation/Regulation, Best Practices and Resources.
A State-by-State Snapshot of Poverty Among Seniors: Findings From Analysis of the Supplemental Poverty Measure
MAY 20, 2013 | Kaiser Family Foundation | ISSUE BRIEF
Key Findings:
The share of seniors living in poverty is higher in every state under the supplemental measure than under the official measure, and at least twice as high in 12 states, including California.
The share of seniors living in poverty under the supplemental measure is especially high in some areas. Based on the supplemental measure, about one in four seniors (26%) are living in poverty in DC and roughly one in five seniors are living in poverty in six states, including California (20%).
Nationally, nearly half of all seniors (48%) live with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty threshold under the supplemental measure, compared to 34 percent under the official measure.
At least half of seniors have incomes below 200 percent of poverty in 10 states and DC based on the supplemental measure, including California (56%).
The Effects of Adult Day Services on Family Caregivers' Daily Stress, Affect, and Health: Outcomes From the Daily Stress and Health (DaSH) Study
MAY 20, 2013 | The Gerontologist | STUDY
In this study, we examine the effects of use of adult day service (ADS) by caregivers of individuals with dementia (IWD) on daily stressors, affect, and health symptoms. Participants were interviewed for 8 consecutive days. On some days, the IWD attended an ADS program and on the other days caregivers provide most or all of the care at home.
Long-Term Care: Perceptions, and Attitudes among Americans 40 or Older
APR 2013 | Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research | POLL FINDINGS
According to this new poll, Americans underestimate their chances of needing long-term care as they get older - and are taking few steps to get ready. Conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, funded by The SCAN Foundation, the poll examined how people 40 and over are preparing for this difficult and often pricey reality of aging.
Related article:
Americans Seriously Unprepared for Long-Term Care, Survey Finds (PBS NEWSHOUR, 4/24/2013)
Cal MediConnect Program
APR 2013 | The SCAN Foundation | FACT SHEET
Cal MediConnect: A Summary of the Memorandum of Understanding Between California and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a 13 page fact sheet issued by the SCAN Foundation. The fact sheet provides background information and summarizes key points of the MOU that formalized a federal-state partnership to implement the Dual Eligibles Integration Demonstration known as "Cal MediConnect."
Long Term Services and Supports Program Compendium
APR 17, 2013 | The SCAN Foundation | COMPENDIUM
The Long Term Services and Support Program Compendium, issued by The SCAN Foundation, is a compendium of federal and state agencies and departments supporting Long-Term Services and Supports Systems (LTSS).
LTC Commission Should Right Imbalance in How Medicaid Pays for LTSS
MAR 2013 | Justice in Aging | BRIEF
The HCBS Opportunity: Recommendations for the Commission on Long-Term Care
President Obama recently appointed the final members of the Commission on Long Term Care. Over the next six months the Commission must accomplish one objective: develop a plan for the establishment, implementation and financing of a comprehensive, coordinated, and high-quality system that ensures the availability of long-term services and supports (LTSS) for individuals who need LTSS.
Transitioning the SPD Population to Medi-Cal Managed Care: Examining the Experiences of Beneficiaries
MAR 28, 2013 | California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) | VIDEO
The video and slides from the March 28, 2013 California HealthCare Foundation briefing, Transitioning the SPD Population to Medi-Cal Managed Care: Examining the Experiences of Beneficiaries, may be viewed on the CHCF website.
Limited English Proficient HMO Enrollees Remain Vulnerable to Communication Barriers Despite Language Assistance Regulations
FEB 20, 2013 | UCLA Center for Health Policy Research | HEALTH POLICY BRIEF
The policy brief, Limited English Proficient HMO Enrollees Remain Vulnerable to Communication Barriers Despite Language Assistance Regulations, reveals that HMO enrollees with limited English proficiency, and particularly those in fair to poor health, face communication barriers despite language assistance regulations. More than 1.3 million California HMO enrollees ages 18 to 64 do not speak English well enough to communicate with medical providers and may experience reduced access to high-quality health care if they do not receive appropriate language assistance services.
California’s Proposed 2013-14 Budget: Impact on California’s Seniors and People with Disabilities
JAN 2013 | The SCAN Foundation | FACT SHEET
On January 10, 2013, California Edmund G. Brown, Jr. released his proposed budget, outlining his spending plan for fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2013 and ending June 30, 2014. This fact, California's Proposed 2013-14 Budget: Impact on California's Seniors and People with Disabilties, looks at the initiatives and program adjustments that would impact California's seniors and people with disabilities.
