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Alex Montero is a Survey Analyst for the Public Opinion and Survey Research Program at KFF. Before joining KFF, Alex was a researcher and writer at EdSource. Alex holds a MA in Politics from New York University.

This issue brief presents findings on key state policy choices about Medicaid HCBS in FY 2020. This is the latest data available, and the first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected in KFF’s 19th survey of state officials administering Medicaid HCBS programs in all 50 states and DC. A related brief presents the latest state-level data about the number of people receiving HCBS and HCBS spending

This issue brief presents FY 2020 state-level data on the number of people receiving Medicaid HCBS and HCBS spending. This is the latest data available, and the first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected in KFF’s 19th survey of state officials administering Medicaid HCBS programs in all 50 states and DC. A related brief presents the latest data and highlights themes in key state policy choices about optional HCBS.

Provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) require states to maintain continuous Medicaid enrollment for enrollees until the end of the month when the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends. When the continuous enrollment requirements end and states resume redeterminations and disenrollments, individuals with LEP may be at increased risk of losing Medicaid coverage or experiencing a gap in coverage due to barriers completing these processes, even if they remain eligible for coverage.

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the public is split on their readiness to return to normal, with many worried about the consequences of lifting restrictions and of not lifting them. At this point, the pandemic is not a top issue for voters in November’s midterm elections . Most parents are not confident in the safety of the vaccine for kids under 5.

This infographic looks at the persistent disparities in health and health care for Black people, which reflect structural and systematic inequities rooted in racism and discrimination. Although disparities in health coverage for Black people narrowed after passage of the Affordable Care Act, they continue to face higher rates of illness and death compared to White people.

Recent legislation would require drug companies to pay rebates to the federal government when annual increases in prescription drug prices for Medicare and private insurance exceed the rate of inflation. As context for understanding the possible impact of this proposal, this analysis compares price changes for drugs covered by Medicare Part B (administered by physicians) and Part D (retail prescription drugs) between 2019 and 2020 to the inflation rate over the same period.

The share of nursing home staffers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 varies considerably by state, from 70 percent in Ohio to 99 percent in Maine, Rhode Island, New York and Massachusetts, a new KFF analysis finds. The national average is 84 percent. The analysis of federal nursing home…

Due to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on nursing home residents and staff, this population was prioritized to receive the vaccine when the vaccine rollout began in Winter 2020-2021. Since then, CMS has implemented a health care worker vaccination mandate for providers that participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid. Although some states have sued to challenge this rule, it was recently allowed to take effect by the Supreme Court. This data note presents completed vaccination and booster rates among nursing home staff, by state.

As Congress again considers increased assistance for the global response to COVID-19, we look at how current U.S. global COVID-19 emergency funding is being channeled, particularly to countries and regions.