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Publications

    Developed with funding from The SCAN Foundation, this toolkit is designed to help community based organizations learn how to identify and assess fintech solutions that support the financial well-being of your older adult clients. VIEW TOOLKIT
    Developed with funding from The SCAN Foundation, RockHealth.org released "A Lens on Health Equity in Digital Health: Unlocking the Innovation Opportunity” in April 2024. This report synthesizes perspectives from industry leaders, identifying strategic avenues to drive health equity in the digital health sphere. The report also highlights underserved populations primed for digital health innovation, including older adults. VIEW REPORT
    Financial security is fundamental to older adults’ choices in where and how they age. Yet many older adults are not financially secure – lacking retirement
    In November 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an increase in the age-adjusted suicide rate since 2021. The report details that in 2021 and 2022, people ages 75 and older had the highest suicide rate among all age groups, largely driven by males. This report is a salient indicator of the challenge of identifying and addressing suicide risk among older adults amidst the well-publicized mental health crisis in the United States. Underpinning this profound challenge are the direct connections between social isolation, neglect, and suicide. READ FULL STORY
    The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities (ICC), seeks to build upon government plans to develop a strategic framework for a national plan on aging. This strategic framework will be built upon the fundamental truth that older adults are of great value to our society as leaders, volunteers, experts, workers and contributors, with the recognition that often barriers prevent their engagement and health. VIEW FRAMEWORK
    Since 2019, ATI Advisory and the Long-Term Quality Alliance, with support from The SCAN Foundation, have led national efforts to advance person-centered, non-medical supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage. This resource center provides research and data for plans, providers, beneficiary advocates, policymakers, and other stakeholders to advance understanding and utilization of these benefits. All of our research
    For over five years, NORC has been at the forefront of research focused on the Forgotten Middle, a term it coined in its landmark 2019 study to define middle-income older adults who are unlikely to qualify for Medicaid long-term care and do not have the financial resources to pay for certain housing and care supports. Since then, it has produced an updated national study with more recent data and designed a Forgotten Middle model specifically for California’s middle-income older adults. VIEW REPORT
    Chronic Conditions ​Experienced by ​Californians with Original Medicare in 2021 provides information on the chronic conditions most commonly experienced by Californians with Original Medicare and related Medicare spending. These data provides a lens into who might benefit from policies, programs, and services that target specific chronic conditions. VIEW CHART BOOK
    Jointly prepared by ATI Advisory and the California Department of Health Care Services. This factsheet explains Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits and how these benefits may be similar to Medi-Cal benefits available to Californians dually eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal. VIEW FACT SHEET
    California ranked 11th overall on the 2023 Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard. This brief provides an overview of California’s Scorecard performance, and key recommendations for improving the California LTSS system to better serve older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers. VIEW FULL BRIEF
    This chartbook examines supplemental benefits offered by Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in California in contract year 2023. Supplemental benefits are not covered by Traditional Medicare and vary by MA plan. The type and eligibility criteria of supplemental benefits also vary across plans and throughout the state. VIEW CHART BOOK
    While policy makers have sought solutions to integrate Medicare and Medicaid for decades, progress is still limited, as states are faced with several challenges. READ FULL ARTICLE
    2020 data: Non-white adults 50+ reported worse health than older white adults 50+ due to a confluence of factors. COVID-19 and related challenges brought to light what many health services researchers and advocates have known for years: a series of interconnected factors contribute to communities of color having worse health care experiences—and worse health outcomes—than white communities. Marc Cohen, PhD, and his team at the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and Community Catalyst confirmed this inequity in a survey analysis of 2014-2020 data showing older adults of color reported experiencing worse health during the pandemic due to a confluence of factors. They reported less telehealth use (including less access to said telehealth), more delayed care, and their care preferences not being considered. VIEW CHART BOOK
    Medi-Cal covers long-term services and supports (LTSS) for its members, but Medicare beneficiaries who are Near Medi-Cal Income Eligible do not qualify for Medi-Cal LTSS. This is notable because Medicare beneficiaries who are Near Medi-Cal Income Eligible have higher rates of disability, less available income, and less access to social supports than those with higher incomes, and therefore are vulnerable to not having their care
    2014-2020 data: Adults 50+ feel their care preferences are being considered more often, but stark racial, economic, and geographic inequities remain.  In a comprehensive analysis of older adults’ care preferences, Marc Cohen, PhD, and his team at The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and Community Catalyst found that since 2020, more older adults feel their care preferences are being usually/always considered, but their experiences vary, highlighting inequities. VIEW CHART BOOK
    The Cultural and Linguistic Demographics of the California Medicare Population Chartbook is the second in a series exploring the demographics, needs, and health care experiences of Californians with Medicare. This chartbook provides new key demographic information, adding to analysis of Medicare records and Census survey data in the Profile of the California Medicare Population chartbook published in February 2022. VIEW CHART BOOK
    The SCAN Foundation continues to gather learnings from the real-life experiences of people participating in Cal MediConnect, a California demonstration project that brings together Medicare and Medicaid in seven counties. Below are findings from two initiatives in an effort to better understand enrollee and health care provider experiences in Cal MediConnect. Learn how it is changing the delivery system landscape in the state. VIEW REPORT
    Nearly 13 million people in the U.S. are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. These dually eligible individuals often have significant health and social service needs, making them among the nation’s highest-need, highest-cost populations. Integrating the financing and delivery systems for this population has the potential to improve the experience of care, increase the quality of care, and reduce costs. As of 2022, approximately 21 percent of full-benefit dually eligible individuals were enrolled in programs that integrate Medicare and Medicaid. This fact sheet, updated for 2023, describes opportunities open to states to better integrate care for dually eligible individuals, including efforts already underway in states across the nation. VIEW FACT SHEET
    NCQA’s LTSS Distinction for Health Plans helps support health plans that coordinate LTSS. The standards can help your organization meet the state needs. VIEW REPORT
    NCQA’s Accreditation of Case Management for Long-term Services and Supports helps support organizations that coordinate long-term services and supports (LTSS) by providing a framework for quality improvement. VIEW REPORT
    National Committee for Quality Assurance's results, research, and learning collaboratives help identify ways to improve care and improve health. Visitors to this page often check HEDIS FAQs, QRS FAQs, or ask a question through MyNCQA. VIEW WEBSITE
    We are experiencing a societal shift and focus on what it means to age well and equitably. Older adults, families, and other caregivers are discussing what really matters. For instance, a majority of U.S. adults say they want to age at home and in community as long as possible. The SCAN Foundation worked with Hollywood, Health & Society and 44 Blue
    Browse growing archive of aging related articles. VIEW WEBSITE
    Browse growing archive of aging related articles. VIEW WEBSITE
    Browse growing archive of aging related articles. VIEW WEBSITE
    Browse growing archive of aging related articles. VIEW WEBSITE
    The Better Care Playbook (the Playbook) makes it easier to find evidence-based and promising practices for improving complex care. This online resource center helps health care stakeholders — including providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, and policymakers — move evidence to action and accelerate adoption of best practices in complex care. VIEW PLAYBOOK
    This unique website helps people with Medicare + Medi-Cal better understand their care choices based on where they live. VIEW WEBSITE

    On January 10, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom released California’s 2023-24 proposed budget. The proposal includes program changes that impact services for older adults and people with disabilities.

    The report, Leveraging COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Flexibilities to Advance Person-Centered Care for Older Adults and People with Complex Care Needs: A Roadmap for Policymakers, was developed in partnership with the Alliance for Health Policy, ATI Advisory, Health Management Associates, and Manatt Health. VIEW REPORT
    National experts in policymaking, aging, health care, and other sectors released recommendations to federal and state policymakers outlining which temporary Medicare and Medicaid flexibilities are most likely to advance person-centered, equitable care for older adults if made permanent following the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). The COVID-19 PHE Flexibilities
    In partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Office of Medicare Innovation and Integration and The SCAN Foundation, NORC at the University of Chicago conducted a survey of Californians age 55 and older with the goal of learning about the needs, experiences, and opinions of California’s current and future Medicare beneficiaries. This report will provide a high-level summary of the survey findings along with deeper explorations of key populations of interest. VIEW REPORT
    This Playbook is intended to be a resource for state Medicaid agencies seeking to partner with Community Care Hubs (CCHs) in the design and implementation of social determinants of health (SDOH) initiatives. The Playbook offers an introduction to the key functions of CCHs, and practical advice on how state Medicaid agencies can collaborate with CCHs to: Engage Communities; Expand Community