Bipartisan Policy Center Issues Report Entitled 'Bridging Health and Health Care'
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Table of Contents
5...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
8...INTRODUCTION
11...RECOMMENDATIONS AND POLICY RATIONALE
11...Section I: Improving Access to and Sustainable Financing of Nonmedical and Preventive Services
17...Section II: Increasing the Capacity of the Health Care Workforce to Support Integration
25...CONCLUSION
26...ENDNOTES
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Executive Summary
In 2017, the
In
Compared with many other industrialized nations,
Recognizing the need to better bridge the divide between the often-siloed worlds of health and health care, these policies are designed to better integrate, coordinate, and ultimately improve the performance and outcomes of both. Our recommendations focus on two key areas: 1) improving access to and coverage and financing of nonmedical and preventive services; and 2) the health care workforce, with a focus on increasing access to care through improvements in the supply and distribution of key practitioners who are needed to improve the health status in underserved communities.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Specific recommended actions include:
Improving Access to and Sustainable Financing of Nonmedical and Preventive Services
A. Coverage of Nonmedical Services in Medicaid
* Provide the secretary of
* The secretary could authorize coverage of nonmedical services where evidence demonstrates the benefit improves or maintains health outcomes for a defined population.
* The secretary could authorize
* Various cancer screening interventions that engage community health workers
* Community-wide physical activity campaigns
* HHS should provide funding for ongoing studies by the
B. Expanding Access to Preventive Services in Medicaid
* Require coverage of clinical preventive services without cost-sharing in Medicaid for the non-expansion population. From BPC's 2020 Advancing Comprehensive Primary Care in Medicaid report
* Direct the secretary of HHS to provide CMS guidance to states on defining and reimbursing community health workers within their Medicaid programs, where evidence has demonstrated improved outcomes. From BPC's 2020 Advancing Comprehensive Primary Care in Medicaid report
Increasing the Capacity of the Health Care Workforce to Support Integration
* Waive the federal requirement for Medicare, Medicaid, and
* Use technology to enable greater integration of clinical and community-based services.
* Improve Medicaid reimbursement for primary, prenatal, and postpartum care.
* Appropriate funding for the
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Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated vulnerabilities created by poor health status in
BPC's recommendations represent a bipartisan step toward bridging public health and health care, starting with the expansion of Medicaid coverage of services that enhance health and actions to bolster the workforce and empower providers to address social determinants of health. These proposals aim to increase access to services that prevent the onset of chronic conditions, stem disease progression and, therefore, lead to better health outcomes and drive down health care costs.
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The full report can be viewed at https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/BPC-Bridging-Health-and-Health-Care-Report-Sept-2021.pdf
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