Medicaid: What to Watch in 2021 January 15, 2021 Issue Brief As the Biden Administration takes office, the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic and related economic downturn are the key issues that will substantially shape Medicaid coverage and financing policy in the year ahead.
January 14 Web Event: A Shot in the Arm For Long-Term Care Facilities? Early Lessons from the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout to High Priority Populations January 14, 2021 Event With the pandemic taking a heavy toll among older Americans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and most states have placed a high priority on vaccinating residents and staff of long-term care facilities. People in nursing homes and other long-term care settings account for 6 percent of cases but…
Despite Efforts to Slow the Spread of the Virus in Long-Term Care Facilities, KFF Analysis Finds Many States Experienced the Worst COVID-19 Outbreaks and Highest Number of Deaths in December January 14, 2021 News Release For some regions of the country, recent months have brought the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities since the start of the pandemic, a new KFF analysis of state-reported cases and death shows, underscoring the importance of current efforts to vaccinate this high priority group. The novel coronavirus has…
Factors Associated With COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Long-Term Care Facilities: Findings from a Literature Review January 14, 2021 Issue Brief This issue brief reviews findings from 30 studies that have examined potential factors associated with COVID-19 cases and/or deaths in long-term care facilities.
New National and State Estimates for Recommended COVID-19 Vaccination Priority Population December 10, 2020 News Release This month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted a recommendation that health care workers and long-term care residents should be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once it is authorized or approved by the FDA. A new KFF analysis estimates there are 15.5 million people working…
Estimates of the Initial Priority Population for COVID-19 Vaccination by State December 10, 2020 Issue Brief This analysis provides new national and state-level estimates of the number of health care workers and long-term care residents who are expected to be part of the group first in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to gain insight into how this initial priority population varies across states.
Potential Health Policy Administrative Actions Under President Biden December 8, 2020 Issue Brief This brief outlines the potential health policy actions that President Biden could take using executive authority, based on campaign pledges, and actions that would reverse or modify regulations or guidance issued by the Trump Administration.
COVID-19 Has Claimed the Lives of 100,000 Long-Term Care Residents and Staff November 25, 2020 Blog More than 100,000 residents and staff have died in long-term care facilities since the start of the pandemic. This post discusses the implications of the likely rise in cases due to holiday gatherings and the share of total COVID-19 deaths that have happened in long-term care facilities.
States Expect Medicaid Enrollment and Spending to Increase by Over 8 Percent Each in FY 2021, Primarily Driven By a Slumping Economy and Federal Conditions to Maintain Eligibility to Access Enhanced Federal Medicaid Funds October 14, 2020 News Release Following several years of declining or flat enrollment growth, states expect Medicaid enrollment and spending each to jump by more than 8 percent in fiscal year 2021, chiefly due to a slumping economy amid the pandemic and federal conditions to maintain coverage to access enhanced federal matching funds, according to…
State Medicaid Programs Respond to Meet COVID-19 Challenges: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 October 14, 2020 Report This report provides an in-depth examination of the changes taking place in Medicaid programs across the country. The findings are drawn from the 20th annual budget survey of Medicaid officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia conducted by KFF and Health Management Associates (HMA), in collaboration with the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD). This report focuses on Medicaid policy changes planned for FY 2021, particularly those related to the COVID-19 pandemic.