Member Login | Join HCAOA
Home Care Association of America
  • Membership Resources
    • Member Login
    • Code of Conduct
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Product & Services Guide
    • Join HCAOA
    • Benefits: Agency Membership
    • Benefits: Associate Membership
  • State Chapters
    • Alabama
    • Arizona
    • California
    • Connecticut
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Illinois
    • Michigan
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • South Carolina
    • Texas
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wisconsin
  • Education/Events
    • Calendar
    • National Home Care Conference >
      • Thank You to Our Sponsors!
  • Advocacy/Policy
    • Home Care Workforce Crisis: An Industry Report and Call to Action
    • Bring the Vote Home
    • Advocacy Fund
    • State of Home Care: Industry at Crossroads
    • Home Care Workforce Action Alliance
    • Caring for Seniors: Value of Home Care
    • Home Care by the Numbers
    • Issues & Positions
    • Legislative Action Network
    • State Legislation Tracker
    • Federal Legislation Tracker
    • 2023 Federal Advocacy Day
  • About HCAOA
    • Mission & Vision
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Caregiver of the Year Award
    • News Releases
    • Advertising & Marketing
    • The Voice
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs with HCAOA
  • Find a Job

Study: Low-Income Seniors Choosing Medicare Advantage and Finding Better Access to Care

12/22/2021

1 Comment

 
​New research commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance, the leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage, finds that a greater proportion of dual-eligible beneficiaries choose enrollment in Medicare Advantage, compared to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare only.
Picture

Read More
1 Comment

Back On: OSHA & CMS Vaccine Mandates

12/22/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Late last week, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay on the OSHA rule requiring covered employers to ensure workers have received the COVID vaccine or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Employers with at least 100 employees will need to determine the COVID-19 vaccination status of their employees and develop a written vaccine-or-testing policy under the OSHA rule.

To give employers time to comply, OSHA will not enforce any requirements under its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) until Jan. 10. Additionally, the agency "will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard's testing requirements before Feb. 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good-faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard," according to an OSHA update.
 
The U.S. Supreme Court could decide to block this directive again.
 
Also last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a nationwide injunction put into place on Nov. 30, ruling that the injunction halting enforcement of the CMS vaccine mandate nationwide should apply only to the 14 states involved in that lawsuit. Eleven other states had previously challenged the CMS Rule in separate actions.
 
The end result is that the CMS vaccine mandate remains in place in the 14 states who were parties to the original litigation: Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The CMS vaccine mandate is also enjoined for the time being in the 10 states litigating in the District of Missouri: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
 
HCAOA will provide up-to-the-minute updates as they become available. Click here for an updated memo from Polsinelli with the latest information about the mandates.
0 Comments

CMS Authorizes States to Increase Income Eligibility for Medicaid HCBS

12/15/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​CMS recently released guidance to state Medicaid Directors about a provision of the Sustaining Excellence in Medicaid Act of 2019 that allows states to adopt special financial methodologies for Medicaid applicants and beneficiaries who need home and community-based services (HCBS). The provision permits states to only apply certain income and/or asset disregards to individuals who need home and community-based services.

Read More
0 Comments

Newly-Expanded Supplemental Benefits in Medicare Advantage Grew 43% for 2022

11/24/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Overall, the number of Medicare Advantage plans offering at least one of five recently expanded supplemental benefits – including home care – jumped 43% (575 to 824) from 2021 to 2022, while the number of plans offering more than one benefit increased 15% (175 to 202). A new brief released last week by Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) and prepared by the actuarial consulting firm Milliman highlights the continued expansion of supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage for Contract Year 2022.


Read More
0 Comments

CMS Issues Broad COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Healthcare Employers

11/10/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
​At the same time OSHA released its ETS on vaccine mandates last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule requiring vaccines for all health care workers participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs. The rule comes just weeks after CMS’ new rule requiring vaccinations for nursing home employees, and extends similar requirements to a wide array of healthcare industry employees.

The deadline to comply is January 4, 2022 – the same as the compliance requirement for the OSHA ETS.
 
Click here to learn more from Littler.
1 Comment

​Framework Announced for Compromise Build Back Better Plan

11/3/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Last week, President Biden announced that a compromise was reached for the framework for his “Build Back Better Plan.”

​Sadly, the Credit for Caring Act, which would have provided a tax credit to families caring for loved ones at home, was not included as the White House and Democratic Leadership were forced to trim more than $1.5 billion from the plan. The provision was included in the House Ways & Means Committee plan passed by the Committee in early September. 


Read More
0 Comments

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to ‘Put It Back’ in Build Back Better Plan

11/3/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
HCAOA urges all members to send a message right now to their Representatives and Senators telling them it’s time to support the 43 million family caregivers in the U.S. by providing a tax credit for caregiving expenses. Click here to visit the HCAOA online legislative action center, enter your address, and the message is already written – just click send.


Read More
1 Comment

President’s Social Safety Net Plan Nearing a Vote

10/27/2021

0 Comments

 
​Over the weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that Democrats are close to finalizing an agreement on the President’s social safety net plan and that the plan could be ready for a final vote by the end of this week. However, few details were provided about what programs are included in the plan. 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Seema Verma Joins Board of WellSky

10/20/2021

0 Comments

 
​Last month, it was announced that Seema Verma, who served as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from 2017 to 2021, joined the Board of Directors of HCAOA Associate Member WellSky. ​“Seema is a nationally recognized health policy expert equipped with a deep understanding of the complexities of the healthcare industry,” said Bill Miller, WellSky CEO. 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

HCAOA Joins Better Medicare Alliance in Supporting Enhanced Medicare Benefits

9/15/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
​HCAOA partnered this week with the Better Medicare Alliance and more than 50 senior health organizations to send a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer to thank Congress for taking steps to protect Medicare Advantage beneficiaries when adding new benefits, such as dental, vision and hearing benefits, and encouraging lawmakers to keep this language in the final bill. ​


Read More
1 Comment

White House Mandates COVID Vaccination for Workers in ‘Most Health Care Settings’

9/15/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Last week, President Biden announced vaccine mandates for workers in “most health care settings” that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement. This includes hospitals, dialysis facilities, ambulatory surgical settings, and home health agencies. HCAOA continues to monitor this development and those of various states to determine the impact on home care agencies providing personal care.


Read More
0 Comments

Social and Economic Factors Drive 40% of Health Outcomes: Better Medicare Alliance Releases Report on Social Determinants of Health

8/11/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
As many HCAOA members know, the Medicare Advantage landscape is changing quickly! Health plans can now offer additional supplemental benefits and services that are not primarily health-related and that target beneficiaries with certain chronic conditions. These changes led to a dramatic increase in plan activity to address social needs and prompted new business and technology innovations. To further dive into the changes happening surrounding social determinants of health (SDOH) or “the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes,” last week Better Medicare Alliance released a new study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago that outlines the many ways Medicare Advantage is taking action to address social determinants of health while acknowledging the barriers that still remain, and offering solutions for reform. 


Read More
0 Comments

New PHI Report Offers 50 Recommendations to the White House & Congress About Direct Care Workforce

7/28/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
PHI recently released a report, Federal Policy Priorities for the Direct Care Workforce, offering detailed federal policy recommendations to strengthen the direct care workforce across eight key areas: financing, compensation, training, workforce interventions, data collection, direct care worker leadership, equity, and the public narrative. COVID-19 put the direct care workforce in the spotlight more than ever before - reinforcing the value of these workers.


Read More
0 Comments

CMS Announces Daniel Tsai as Deputy Administrator & Director, Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services

7/14/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Daniel Tsai has been named the new CMS Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. In this role, Tsai will be responsible for leading CMS efforts around health equity and serving vulnerable populations, including seniors. Prior to his appointment, Tsai served as the Assistant Secretary for MassHealth (the Massachusetts Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program) and as Medicaid Director at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 


Read More
0 Comments

Better Medicare Alliance Names Mary Beth Donahue as President and CEO

6/23/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​This week, the Better Medicare Alliance announced Mary Beth Donahue as the next President and CEO of the organization. Donahue previously served in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving as Chief of Staff to HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala during the critical early days of Medicare Advantage as “Medicare+Choice.” ​


Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020

    Categories

    All
    Accreditation
    Alabama
    Arizona
    Award
    California
    Caregiver
    Chapters
    Conference
    Connecticut
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Data
    Delaware
    Education
    Florida
    Georgia
    Illinois
    Immigration
    Kansas
    Kentucky
    Legal
    Legislative
    Massachusetts
    Medi
    Medicaid
    Medicare
    Member Benefits
    Member News
    Michigan
    Minnesota
    New Jersey
    New York
    Ohio
    Pennsylvania
    Reimbursement
    Research
    Rhode Island
    South Carolina
    South Dakota
    Sponsorships
    Texas
    Vendor
    Veterans Administration
    Virginia
    Washington
    West Virginia
    Wisconsin
    Workforce

    RSS Feed

    Upcoming Events

Phone: 202-519-2960​ | 444 N. Capitol Street NW, Suite 428 |  Washington, DC 20001
info@hcaoa.org
 |
sitemap
​

© 2020 Home Care Association of America.  All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Refund Policy
Picture
  • Membership Resources
    • Member Login
    • Code of Conduct
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Product & Services Guide
    • Join HCAOA
    • Benefits: Agency Membership
    • Benefits: Associate Membership
  • State Chapters
    • Alabama
    • Arizona
    • California
    • Connecticut
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Illinois
    • Michigan
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • South Carolina
    • Texas
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wisconsin
  • Education/Events
    • Calendar
    • National Home Care Conference >
      • Thank You to Our Sponsors!
  • Advocacy/Policy
    • Home Care Workforce Crisis: An Industry Report and Call to Action
    • Bring the Vote Home
    • Advocacy Fund
    • State of Home Care: Industry at Crossroads
    • Home Care Workforce Action Alliance
    • Caring for Seniors: Value of Home Care
    • Home Care by the Numbers
    • Issues & Positions
    • Legislative Action Network
    • State Legislation Tracker
    • Federal Legislation Tracker
    • 2023 Federal Advocacy Day
  • About HCAOA
    • Mission & Vision
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Caregiver of the Year Award
    • News Releases
    • Advertising & Marketing
    • The Voice
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs with HCAOA
  • Find a Job