Philanthropy @ Work – Reports

Texans say health care is the toughest living expense for them to afford. More than half (55 percent) of Texans say it’s difficult for them to pay for health care, including more than a quarter (27 percent) who say it’s “very difficult.”

The analysis updates a 2014 report, providing a county-by-county look at the number of jobs, new Medicaid enrollees and economic growth that would result from the state expanding Medicaid.

Even after controlling for differences in local prices and health status, there was a 34 percent difference between the lowest- and highest-spending counties’ per capita Medicare spending in 2016.

The new report explores how fragmented care settings and payment systems, unclear regulations, and information gaps all play a role in limiting the guidance hospital staff can provide patients and their families in arranging post-acute care.

The analysis recommends a 10-year reauthorization of the Health Center Fund, with additional funding targeted to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts, as well as expanded Medicaid coverage in the 10 high-burden, non-expansion states.

This new report uses a life course analysis—which is based on the premise that health is a consequence of multiple determinants and contexts that change as a person develops—to focus on the risk factors for domestic violence perpetration and to highlight opportunities for prevention.

RIZE Massachusetts (RIZE) released a report by the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine division on recovery coaches, a peer support professional used in treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). The report was commissioned to study the effectiveness of recovery coaches, define and examine their role in treatment, and understand current payment methods.

Survey results from San Joaquin Valley demographic experts show that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census would be likely to have a major impact in suppressing census response among San Joaquin Valley Latino immigrants and their social networks, who make up one-third of the region’s total population.