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How sick is sick enough? New Medicaid work rule worries patient advocates, states.
Alice Miranda Ollstein and Robert King, ProPublica, June 7
Patient advocacy groups, doctors, and state officials worry that chronically ill people could become uninsured at a time when they need the most care, after the Trump administration released a new final rule for Medicaid recipients. Those exempted from the employment requirements for medical frailty must prove every six months that they remain too ill to work. Advocates worry that this will put new burdens on sick people and their doctors, who may be tasked with making that determination. They also worry that because chronically ill people’s ability to work can vary, it will be difficult to say who can and cannot work.
CT community health workers still waiting for Medicaid support
Katy Golvala, The Connecticut Mirror, June 5
In 2023, Connecticut lawmakers passed a measure requiring the state’s Medicaid program to pay for services provided by community health workers (CHWs). However, no implementation date was set and the budget did not include funding for the initiative. Today, CHWs and advocates are still waiting for the state to come up with the money to make the measure a reality. Without the reimbursement, funding for CHWs can be unreliable and insufficient. Medicaid funding would allow for more organizations to hire CHWs and make their jobs more stable.
Broad racial disparities persist in Greater Hartford and beyond: housing, food, transportation, more
Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, June 11
A new report shows persistent racial and geographic disparities for Greater Hartford residents in many areas, including health. Black and Latino residents experienced higher rates of some diseases such as diabetes and asthma. The report also found that the need for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is higher among Black and Latino households and households in Hartford. Chris Senecal of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation said food and housing insecurity went up post-COVID, and this report shows that trend is continuing. “We haven’t turned that around and with some of the federal changes the concern is that these things are going to get worse,” he said.
Weakened public health powers raise outbreak risks
Rob Stein, NPR, June 4
Many state and local health officials in the U.S. now have less power to protect the public from disease outbreaks than during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of U.S. states have made changes to their own state, city, and local powers, limiting their ability to respond to public health emergencies and weakening their authorities in response to criticism of COVID-era mandates. “If you think about what that really means, it’s like telling the police department that you can’t arrest people, that you can’t protect people when you know there’s extreme weather happening,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, head of the American Public Health Association.
Study finds link between higher immigration to the U.S. and better nursing home staffing
Michayla Savitt, Connecticut Public Radio, June 9
Areas with higher rates of immigration have had more adequate staffing and care outcomes in nursing homes, according to a new study. The study found that labor markets with more immigrants had better quality of care in nursing homes, looking at factors such as fewer falls, fewer instances of bedsores, and fewer residents needing to be physically restrained. Experts say that having enough workers can lead to better outcomes. Study authors suggest creating more work visa opportunities for immigrants in caregiving roles to help improve labor shortages in nursing homes.