Medicare

This infographic provides information on coverage and costs for low-income Medicare beneficiaries. The resource describes people on Medicare, financial needs among beneficiaries, programs supporting low-income beneficiaries, and ways to improve access.

Older adults are affected by the opioid public health emergency because they often use prescription opioids to cope with painful chronic conditions or procedures. This issue briefing provides a summary about the problem, treatments, federal strategies to address the crisis, and funding and programs that are addressing this issue. The briefing also highlights innovative programs to address the opioid public health emergency in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Hampshire.

For individuals who receive services from both Medicare and Medicaid, care is often fragmented across a wide array of medical, behavioral health, and long-term care providers. Medicare and Medicaid offer otherwise uncoordinated systems of care with different eligibility criteria, benefits, provider networks, and enrollment processes. This issue brief describes key features of effective integrated care programs and presents top policy considerations driving state investment in these programs.

Previous studies have demonstrated that socially isolated older adults are at greater risk for poor health and death than their well-connected counterparts. The AARP Public Policy Institute has released a new report that examines whether social isolation also affects health care spending among older adults, and finds that a lack of social contacts among older adults is associated with an estimated $6.7 billion in additional Medicare spending annually.

This fact sheet from the AARP Public Policy Institute provides 10 key facts about the Medicare population. It includes information about age, health, coverage, financial resources, and more.

This Spotlight from the AARP Public Policy Institute discusses the Medicare home health benefit that serves millions of Americans. The Medicare home health benefit allows many homebound older adults to get skilled care in their homes. This Spotlight includes information about Medicare rules for coverage of home health care services.

This new report developed by the Medicare Rights Center for the National Council on Aging shares how some states are working to ensure seamless coverage for low-income individuals transitioning from expansion Medicaid to Medicare. The report highlights promising state-specific practices that other states might adopt, as well as barriers that states will work through in their own ways, seeking the most seamless coverage possible for lower-income older adults and people with disabilities.

The Partnership for Healthy Outcomes, a project of the Center for Health Care Strategies, Nonprofit Finance Fund, and the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, has published a report that captures and analyzes lessons from health care organizations and community-based organizations (CBOs) that are partnering to address both the clinical and the social determinants of health. This report is based on a survey of more than 200 health care related partnerships.

Meals on Wheels of America released a new report, funded by the AARP and Caesars Foundations, titled Hunger in Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities for the Aging Network. This first-of-its-kind resource explores a variety of available food assistance programs that can be used in combination to more effectively address the needs of seniors in your community.

IMPAQ International and AARP Foundation recently released an issue brief titled “Addressing Food Insecurity in Primary Care: Models for Patient Screening and Referral.” Recognizing the importance of food security on health and health care outcomes for older adults, the issue brief describes ways in which health systems have implemented food security screening and referral processes, including partnering with community organizations for referrals, and key factors in their success.