Addressing Social Factors That Affect Health: Emerging Trends and Leading Edge Practices in Medicaid
Jocelyn Guyer, Patricia Boozang, and Bardia Nabet, Manatt Health
Medicaid programs are increasingly considering how best to address social factors, such as housing, healthy food, and economic security, that can affect health and medical expenditures. Often referred to as social determinants of health (SDOH), these factors are significant drivers of population health outcomes. While states historically have had some experience tackling such issues for specialized, high-need populations, they are now confronting whether, and how, Medicaid should address SDOH for a broader population of Medicaid enrollees in order to achieve better health outcomes. This issue brief explores the “next generation” practices that states are deploying to address social factors using Medicaid 1115 waivers and managed care contracts, as well as the specific steps states can take to implement these practices.
Ensuring affordable health coverage and healthcare for immigrant populations in the United States is critical to advancing health equity. In a new series, State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS), with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, highlights strategies for states to expand affordable health coverage to immigrant populations in the United States. This expert perspective provides an overview of the products included in the series.
On September 8, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule on the “Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility,” regarding DHS’ authority to refuse a noncitizen’s application for admission or application for visa adjustment (including receipt of a green card) on grounds that they are “likely at any time to become a public charge.” This expert perspective provides an overview of the final rule.
This expert perspective provides an overview of the eligibility and enrollment proposed rule released by CMS on August 31 and details how the proposed rule seeks to strengthen existing eligibility, enrollment, and renewal operational processes in an effort to close gaps in coverage and extend best practices identified by CMS and states in the course of preparing for unwinding the federal public health emergency (PHE). Comments on the proposed rule are due no later than November 7, 2022.
