Serena Lowe

Over the next few weeks at This Week in Public Health we'll be diving into #PROJECT2025 and what it means for health policy in America. As you might guess, I'm in favor of inclusive, empathic, and evidence-based care, all things that we need to pay attention to or risk losing. Here are first blog: https://lnkd.in/eHWESg2U

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The article highlights a theme in what Platform Government Strategies has been writing about and advising clients during this political season - the partisan issue of coverage has mostly been solved with the percentage of uninsured Americans coming down by almost half in the past ~quarter century. The issues of cost, transparency, competition and consolidation - each far more bipartisan than coverage - are now at the front of the line. From The Times: "After years of crises and emergencies, no part of the system is currently ablaze. Obamacare markets have settled and grown after a rocky launch. The uninsured rate is near a record low. Obamacare has become popular. Overall health care spending, while high and growing, has not been following its historically steep trajectory."

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Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the Olmstead case, in which the Supreme Court found that the unjustified institutionalization of people with disabilities is illegal discrimmination. Olmstead was one of several factors leading to the growth in Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS). On this anniversary, KFF's HCBS and "non-MAGI" surveys are a resource for documenting the progress made and the challenges that remain. Those surveys show how states' coverage of Medicaid HCBS has changed, how the number of people on waiting list has grown, and how Medicaid eligibility for people with disabilities has evolved. Our newest report on Medicaid eligibility for seniors and people with disabilities also highlights changes made during the unwinding of the COVID-19 continuous enrollment provision. https://lnkd.in/efUyFrVm

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I am thrilled to share a new NGA brief on state approaches to collecting and using disability data to reduce health disparities. This is a rising area of interest among states and territories, and this new resource provides promising practices to guide this work. It was a pleasure to partner with Bonnielin Swenor and her team at the JHU Center for Disability Health Research who authored this brief. You can learn more at the link below!

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It’s happening! After months of preparation, the first National Child Care Innovation Summit cohosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation takes place this Thursday 🌟! Hundreds of businesses, policymakers, innovators, funders, and providers from over 40 states are coming together to put childcare on the national economic agenda. Headlined by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark, we couldn’t be more thrilled about the lineup of speakers joining us! From CEOs of large companies like UPS, Etsy, Suffolk and Micron to small businesses entrepreneurs like Alson Farms and Red Rooster, we’ll hear from businesses taking action on child care. From White House officials and Members of Congress to Governors, Mayors, county officials and chambers of commerce, we’ll learn about how policy reform and innovation is increasing access to child care both federally and in small urban and rural communities across the nation. We are excited to shed light on the movers and shakers leading investments, innovations and public-private partnerships addressing child care challenges on the ground. They consider how the private sector can be a force multiplier to the public sector in making care infrastructure investments and moving forward public funding for child care. They design for the toughest use cases, such as non-traditional hour workers, child care deserts, and families who require diverse supply options. And they are making inroads to recognizing the immense importance of care jobs by providing better wages, benefits, opportunities, and support. While there is still much work ahead, this summit hopes to provide an opportunity for many to take the first—or next—step towards forging a working care system. Hope to see you there in person or join us online!

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MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 9, 2024 TIME FOR US TO GET INVOLVED TO HOST A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON GUN VIOLENCE AND COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS WASHINGTON, DC – Time for Us to Get Involved, a 501(c)(3) umbrella organization, is bringing together a coalition of community leaders and experts for a pivotal roundtable discussion on addressing gun violence as a public health crisis. Rather than working in silos, we aim to collaborate and address the city’s most urgent challenges: gun violence, substance abuse, housing instability, and mental health. While the homicide rate in the District of Columbia has been decreasing, it remains among the highest in the country relative to population size. Additionally, the District faces one of the highest rates of opioid abuse nationwide. Despite numerous efforts by government, community, and Indigenous organizations, these persistently high rates indicate the need for a deeper examination of the common institutional factors driving these issues. By identifying these shared root causes, the coalition aims to develop sustainable, long-term solutions. WHO: Keynote Speakers: - Brian Schwalb, Attorney General, District of Columbia (confirmed) - Robert White, DC Councilmember (confirmed) Featured Speakers: - Dr. Edwin Chapman, Specializing in Internal and Addiction Medicine - Dr. William Lawson, Nationally Recognized Clinical and Research Psychiatrist WHAT: A roundtable discussion featuring research, insights, and proposed solutions to address chronic violence and health crises affecting the DC community. Participants will engage in meaningful dialogue to foster collaboration and accountability among community organizations, inspired by the successful Boston model of 1999, which focused on reducing gun violence through community-driven efforts. WHO: The event will include leaders from several influential organizations: - Kamal Ali, Chairman, Ben’s Chili Bowl - Kenny Barnes, Founder, ROOT (Reaching Out to Others Together) - Roach Brown, Executive Director, The Inner Voices - Tyrone Parker, Alliance of Concerned

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Each legislative session, our team tracks and summarizes hundreds of bills, identifying trends in state legislation impacting children and families. This piece provides an overview of the trends we identified in 2024 across four key components of the prenatal-to-3 system of care, including child care, paid family leave, doulas, and state tax credits! Have a look 👀!

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🚨 New report from Dollar For just dropped today 🚨 The report concludes that some of our largest non-profit hospital systems (think large metropolitan hospitals, not rural hospitals) failed to provide approximately $14 billion worth of charity care to lower middle-class and indigent patients. A large chunk of that money was exacted from low-income patients through debt collections... A clear violation of what is required and expected in state and federal law. What is "charity care" you ask? Non-profit hospitals are awarded with a myriad of state and federal tax-exemptions (the national values of these exemptions has been estimated to be around $24 billion). Non-profit hospitals are spared from many taxes because they are expected to spend that tax-spared revenue on "community benefit" for patients living near the hospital. A key action that constitutes as a non-profit hospital providing community benefit is accepting and paying for patients' charity care applications. Whether it is prospective (before receiving care at the hospital) or retrospective (after a person is given a hospital bill of charges) a patient can apply for non-profit hospital charity care (a.k.a financial assistance) that completely covers or heavily discounts the cost of their care. Regardless of varying state law, the industry standard for charity care financial eligibility is 140% - 400% the federal poverty level (FPL). Meaning individual patients, making less than $30,120 a year (<200% of FPL), can most likely get their care completely covered by the hospital. A family of four making less than $62,400 a year is also typically eligible for 100% of their costs covered. Additionally, if a patient is making between 200% - 400% FPL they can still get discounts ranging from 75% - 95%. This Dollar For report is now one of many emerging analyses suggesting that many of the mega non-profit hospital systems in our country are purposefully shirking their charity care responsibility, at patients' expense, to take advantage of their tax-exemptions to invest in stocks, buy-up practices, and use their increasing market share to increase the rates they get reimbursed from private and public health insurance (which usually results in regressive taxes, premiums, and deductibles increasing the following year). There is nothing wrong with an entity becoming a successful hospital worth billions of dollars in this country. However, "success" for a "a large metropolitan non-profit hospital" should not be predicated on furtively dodging their end of the non-profit social contract, which is to defray the costs of low-income patients. With great tax-exemptions comes great social responsibility. It's time we establish accountability. Shoutout to Christy Snodgrass and Eli Rushbanks for all the amazing patient advocacy work you both do at Dollar For. If anyone is struggling with a non-profit hospital medical bill make sure to check out Dollar For's website and take the pre-screener!

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Please join us for this webinar from The Choice Agenda DATE: Monday, August 5 TIME: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM ET (NYC) Where's the Equity? Including People with Disabilities in HIV Prevention Programming and Research As a movement motivated by health and human rights, the HIV field has collectively been tuning in more than ever to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion when it comes to HIV prevention programming and research. That said, there seems to be less awareness and effort around the inclusion of people with disabilities in our programs and protocols. Recognizing that "people with disabilities" is an immense group of very diverse people, this webinar will explore the who, what, where and how involved in acknowledging the importance of including people with disabilities, with concrete ideas for where, how, and with whom we can improve our efforts. Speakers: Dr. Hannah Kuper, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Tafadzwa Maseva, Zimbabwe Network for Disability  Brian Minalga, Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination (HANC) Sarah Mwikali, Gifted Community Centre Moderators: JD Davids, Strategies for High Impact / Long COVID Justice Patriciah Jeckonia, LVCT Health Register here:  https://lnkd.in/gB8nZ4AJ AVAC JD Davids Brian Minalga Manju Chatani Catherine Verde Hashim Navita Jain (Navita Sahai) #hivresearch #hivprevention #hiv #peoplewithdisabilities #dei #diversity #equity #inclusion #webinar #thechoiceagenda

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The ongoing discussions surrounding homelessness, catalyzed by recent Supreme Court arguments, underscore the urgent need for informed action. Gain deeper insights into this issue by examining the 2023 Point-in-Time (PIT) count numbers. Understanding these statistics is pivotal in crafting effective solutions to combat homelessness nationwide.  Read Francis G. Torres’ key takeaways: https://lnkd.in/eXq2UZgK  #homelessness 

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CSH has updated their Policy Brief on Medicaid coverage of Housing Related Services. We are up to twenty-seven state & DC that cover these vital services for some populations. More details at https://lnkd.in/efKNS9Tk And coming soon, rating states on the quality of those programs, based on CSH's Six Strategies to use with Medicaid to Scale Supportive Housing https://lnkd.in/eAiJbsNf

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A national plan on aging is essential to ensuring that as Americans age, they are able to maintain good health, build financial resilience, and remain in their homes and communities. AARP’s Vision for a National Plan on Aging lays out key elements that national plan should include.     But the plan itself is a first step only. Ensuring robust financial support will be critical to achieving the goals it sets out. For successful implementation, policymakers must also chart a clear roadmap, continuously evaluate progress, and ensure the plan remains adaptable.     Read the new report from AARP’s Public Policy Institute, Aging Well in America: AARP’s Vision for the National Plan on Aging, which launches a new AARP initiative designed to support national efforts to advance a plan. I am honored to have been a member of the team who worked on this. #Agewell #NationalPlanOnAging https://lnkd.in/e4CgqrUq  

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Need a quick refresher on the FMAP, Medicaid financing and implications of conservative policies to limit federal funding for Medicaid - check out our new policy watch: https://lnkd.in/eFtJa3ny

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How might health companies move from supplying health to preventing it? Is there a model for bolstering population health by catalyzing community building? The Greater Rochester Health Foundation offers an example of what is possible. It aims to boost heath outcomes by focusing on enhancing #community capacity to produce #health in both urban and rural #neighborhoods. Importantly, it takes long-term view (10 plus years) and does not impose specific predefined outputs or outcomes. Instead, the Neighborhood Health Improvement Initiative supports resident groups and community animators to reweave the neighborhood social fabric--increasing collective efficacy and social support networks in the process. The foundation explains why it adopts an "asset-based, grassroots efforts to improve the physical, social, and economic environments of neighborhoods" in the Greater Rochester area as follows: "Our daily lives and the neighborhoods in which we live them—where we raise our families, work, and play—along with our personal health habits, affect health in countless and complex ways. Some neighborhoods support health and healthy behaviors better than others. In healthy neighborhoods, we feel safe walking outside, can access green space for recreation and physical activity, and we can purchase and eat healthy, affordable food. Healthy neighborhoods are free of abandoned housing that attracts crime and are places with trusted neighbors to turn to when in need." Deborah Puntenney offers more detail: "an inner-city community....The people who are involved are neighborhood residents, individuals, families. They’ve come together in block clubs, they have a neighborhood council. But these are informal groups, none of these are 501(c)3s except for the organization that actually received the grant, which is a CDC.... They finished their asset map and then they met as a community and they had identified several issues that they wanted to work on. Healthy eating, healthy exercise, and doing something about the open air drug market that had plagued their community for about 30 years.... Today when you go through the neighborhood, people comment all the time, this neighborhood group has managed to build community gardens, it has a developed a park and playground, it has completed a major trail going all the way through Rochester and right through the neighborhood. It has launched educational opportunities, it’s got numerous activities for seniors, for youth. It has developed major partnerships, and by that I mean between neighborhood residents, the mayor, the police, the courts, the judges, the district attorney, anybody you can think of they are partnering with. There’s been massive community change in this area. Thanks to Cormac Russell for suggesting this example. #rochester #relationships Placemaking Education Danya Pastuszek Sarah Strimmenos Amanda Jamison Shawn Duncan Sam Pressler Frances Kraft PlacemakingX Reyn Archer MD

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Tuesday Public Health Update: Addressing Global Health Inequities in Marginalized Communities Overseas public health concerns disproportionately impact marginalized communities, often due to limited access to healthcare, socio-economic disparities, and systemic inequalities. These challenges are most pronounced in areas experiencing crises such as conflict, climate change, or infectious disease outbreaks. Key Public Health Issues: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs): Diseases like lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis remain prevalent in low-income regions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Marginalized populations are at higher risk due to inadequate sanitation and limited access to preventive care. Access to Vaccination: In many countries, marginalized groups lack access to life-saving vaccines, including for preventable diseases like measles and cholera. This is exacerbated by conflict and displacement, as seen in refugee camps and war-torn regions. Maternal and Child Health: Mortality rates for mothers and children remain disproportionately high in marginalized communities in low-resource settings, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of skilled birth attendants, clean water, and basic medical services are key contributing factors. GIPHP’s Efforts: At Global Infectious and Public Health Partners LLC (GIPHP), we are working closely with local health organizations to address these pressing issues by: Promoting Access to Care: Supporting initiatives that bring healthcare to underserved communities through mobile clinics and telemedicine. Research and Advocacy: Conducting research on the health needs of marginalized groups and advocating for equitable healthcare policies at international forums. Community Education: Partnering with local leaders to raise awareness about disease prevention and healthcare access. Call to Action: To improve global health outcomes, it is essential that we focus on solutions that prioritize marginalized communities. Let’s work together to bridge the healthcare gap and ensure no one is left behind. #PublicHealth #GlobalHealth #HealthEquity #MarginalizedCommunities #GIPHP #HealthForAll

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Interested in hearing more about the recent CMS proposed rule changes to contraceptive coverage requirements? Check out my interview on todays episode of Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Public Health Review Morning Edition.

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Hope you can join Workshop and these terrific speakers for this important session on OMB Circular A4: The Most Powerful Tool for Equity You’ve Never Heard Of!

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