What You Need to Know: The CMS Open Door Forum on Medicaid Access Rule

By:

On July 30, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a Long-Term Services and Supports Open Door Forum to discuss the recently finalized Medicaid Access rule. During the call, which largely focused on the 80-20 “Payment Adequacy” provision, CMS provided an overview of the final regulations and changes made from the initial […]

Read More

CMS Releases Updates to HCBS Quality Measures

By:

On Thursday, April 11, CMS released three items relevant to quality measurement in Home and Community-Based Services. These include: A CMCS Informational Bulletin that updates the existing HCBS Quality Dataset. The HCBS Quality Dataset, first implemented in 2022, is a set of national measures that is voluntary for state Medicaid agencies to collect and report. […]

Read More

NAHC/AARP 2023 LTSS State Scorecard

By:

AARP recently released the 2023 update to their nationally renowned State Long-term Services and Supports Scorecard (https://ltsschoices.aarp.org/scorecard-report/2023). The LTSS Scorecard, a first of its kind, assesses and ranks various components of the 50 states and District of Columbia in five key areas: The scorecard is a powerful tool for providers, policymakers, and stakeholders to use […]

Read More

AARP Releases 2023 LTSS Scorecard

By:

On Thursday, September 28, AARP released their 2023 Long-term Services and Supports (LTSS) Scorecard, the fifth iteration of the scorecard, which is released every three years. The Scorecard ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 26 unique measures grouped into the following five categories: Notable measures that focus on homecare providers […]

Read More

CMS Releases Quality Measure Set to Improve Home & Community-Based Care

By:

On July 21, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will release its first-ever home- and community-Based Services (HCBS) quality measure set to promote consistent quality measurement within and across state Medicaid HCBS programs. The measure set is intended to provide insight into the quality of HCBS programs and enable states to measure […]

Read More

CMS Releases Quality Measure Set to Improve Home & Community-Based Care

By:

On July 21, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will release its first-ever home- and community-Based Services (HCBS) quality measure set to promote consistent quality measurement within and across state Medicaid HCBS programs. The measure set is intended to provide insight into the quality of HCBS programs and enable states to measure […]

Read More

Report: Big Investment in HCBS Needed to Support Long-Term Care Needs

By:

A new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, Bipartisan Solutions to Improve the Availability of Long-term Care, calls for significant investment in expansion of home and community-based services (HCBS) in order to expand access to long-term care, which will become increasingly necessary in a rapidly aging society. “For decades, policymakers have sought to improve access to […]

Read More

Report: Big Investment in HCBS Needed to Support Long-Term Care Needs

By:

A new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, Bipartisan Solutions to Improve the Availability of Long-term Care, calls for significant investment in expansion of home and community-based services (HCBS) in order to expand access to long-term care, which will become increasingly necessary in a rapidly aging society. “For decades, policymakers have sought to improve access to […]

Read More

NAHC Supports the Protecting Married Seniors from Impoverishment Act

By:

Eleven Senators, including Bob Casey (D-PA), a close friend of NAHC and the home care community, have introduced the Protecting Married Seniors from Impoverishment Act (S.1099) to permanently protect against spousal impoverishment in the Medicaid program.  Historically, when one part of a married couple was in need of Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS), their spouse has been […]

Read More

CMS Toolkit to Accelerate State Efforts to Enhance Home and Community-Based Services

By:

Today, CMS launched a new toolkit designed for state Medicaid agencies to strengthen their infrastructure and develop robust home and community-based services (HCBS) for eligible beneficiaries. This toolkit is the latest in a series of CMS efforts to promote high quality, person-centered HCBS to safely transition older adults and individuals with disabilities back to their […]

Read More

CMS Proposes to Develop Standard Measures for HCBS

By:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to develop standard measures to use across the home and community-based services (HCBS) system for voluntary use by states, managed long-term services and supports (LTSS) plans, providers and other entities to address the gaps and recommendations identified in the report. Specifically, it recommends that the […]

Read More

New Report Argues for Boosting Access to Long-Term Care and Caregiver Pay

By:

Increasingly popular state-based social insurance programs designed to expand access to long-term care should also improve pay and working conditions for caregivers, argues a new report from PHI, a national research and consulting organization focused on the direct care workforce. Washington state became the first in the nation to pass legislation to finance long-term services […]

Read More