Tag: news

Proposed Rule Will Make More Grandparents and Other Relatives Eligible for Resources to Support Them in Caring for Children Whose Parents Cannot

Yesterday, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced a proposed rule that will make it easier for child welfare agencies to license relatives to foster children whose parents cannot care for them. (Specifically, the rule will allow child welfare agencies to create separate kinship caregiver licensing standards.) This will allow more grandparents and other relative caregivers to access the financial assistance and other resources that are available to licensed foster homes, making it possible for more children to remain with their families during challenging times. ACF is encouraging child welfare agencies to place as few burdens as possible on grandparents and other kin to become licensed, consistent with the safety and well-being of the child.

This rule addresses one of the significant challenges facing grandparents and other relative caregivers, and fulfills a key federal commitment made in the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.

The Children’s Bureau in ACF will hold an information session for title IV-E agencies and the public on Tuesday, February 28 from 3:30 to 4:00 PM ET providing an overview of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). No advance registration is required. Attendees can join using this Zoom link.

ACF’s announcement is below, and yesterday’s post on their Family Room blog has more information. The proposed rule and instructions for commenting are published in the Federal Register. Comments must be received by April 17, 2023.

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Popular COVID-19 Treatment Program Returns

Free telehealth appointments expand access to oral antivirals

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has relaunched its popular free telehealth program to increase access to potentially life-saving medication to treat COVID-19. The program expands the federal government’s Test to Treat initiative and gives people at risk of severe disease another way to quickly access treatment.

DOH’s telehealth program is an easy way to see if COVID-19 oral antivirals, such as Paxlovid, are right for you. Oral antivirals, which are COVID-19 treatment pills taken by mouth, are available by prescription only and must be started within five days of the first symptoms to be effective. Telehealth allows patients to connect with a clinician without having to go to a health care facility in person. This reduces barriers to access, especially in rural and underserved urban areas, and allows patients to stay at home for assessment and treatment, reducing the potential spread of the disease.

“Equity, innovation, and engagement are the cornerstone values that have informed DOH throughout our COVID-19 response,” said Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health. “Ensuring that we continue this important program that connects communities with needed therapeutics is an essential step in continuing our mission of reducing unnecessary deaths from this disease.”

Between July 28 and Dec. 31, 2022, DOH’s telehealth program:

  • Served 6,329 patients from over 400 zip codes throughout Washington state.
  • Provided over 4,200 prescriptions to patients with positive COVID-19 tests.
  • Served over 975 patients that live in high Equitable Distribution Index (EDI) areas.

DOH encourages people who test positive for COVID-19 to discuss treatment options with their primary health care provider. In situations where this might not be possible, free telehealth consultations can make it easier to access treatments. People who test positive for COVID-19, including with a self-test, can consult with a health care provider using a smartphone or computer with a high-speed internet connection. If treatment is appropriate, they can receive a free prescription for oral antivirals for pick-up from over 1,000 pharmacies throughout the state that has the medication available. They can also choose to have the medication delivered.

Visit DOH’s new telehealth webpage to set up a telehealth appointment or call the DOH COVID-19 call center at 1-800-525-0127 if you have any questions. If the information provided indicates treatment may be appropriate, the patient will be connected virtually with a health care provider for a consultation. Telehealth appointments are currently available every day from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PST in 240 languages via DOH’s collaboration partner Color Health.

“Restarting DOH’s telehealth program ensures that patients at high risk for severe disease have equitable access to lifesaving COVID-19 treatments,” said Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, MD, MPH, Chief Science Officer. “This service is free for everyone so that even those without insurance can access antiviral medications. Offering free telehealth consultations in multiple languages also increases access for non-English speakers.”

DOH will reassess the program in June to determine if it should continue in light of future needs.

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Earned Income Tax Credit 2022

The IRS estimates that as many as 1.5 million people with disabilities miss out on a valuable credit for low to moderate-income workers because they fail to file a tax return.

Many of these non-filers fall below the income threshold requiring them to file; however, in order to claim the EITC, you have to file a tax return— even if you don’t owe taxes for the previous year. Those who qualify could pay less federal tax, pay no tax at all, or even get a tax refund that puts an extra $2 to $6,660 into their pocket.

Eligibility for EITC

To qualify for EITC, you must have earned income from employment, self-employment or another source that does not exceed income limits (see chart on the right) as well as meet a few additional criteria explained at www.irs.gov/eitc. Social Security benefits or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) do not count as earned income.

Disability and EITC

Taxpayers may claim a child* of any age as a qualifying child if the person has a permanent disability and you both meet all other EITC requirements. The tax law definition of totally and permanently disabled is:

  • The person cannot engage in any substantial gainful activity because of a physical or mental condition.

  • A doctor determines whether the condition has lasted or the doctor expects it to last continuously for at least a year or lead to death.

*Child: son, a daughter, adopted child, stepchild, foster child or a descendant of any of them such as a grandchild; brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother, step-sister or a descendant of any of them such as a niece or nephew.

Income Limits for Tax Year 2022:

  • $53,057 ($59,187 married, filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children

  • $49,399 ($55,529 married, filing jointly) with two qualifying children

  • $43,492 ($49,622 married, filing jointly) with one qualifying child

  • $16,480 ($22,610 married, filing jointly) with no qualifying children

Investment income must be $10,300 or less

Maximum Credit Amounts:

  • $6,935 with three or more qualifying children
  • $6,164 with two or more qualifying children
  • $3,733 with one qualifying child
  • $560 with no qualifying children

Remember: To claim EITC, you must file a tax return even if you owe no tax.

Find out if you qualify for EITC. Ask your tax return preparer or visit: irs.gov/eitc

EITC and Public Benefit Programs

The law is clear that tax refunds, including refunds from tax credits such as the EITC, are not counted as income for purposes of determining eligibility for benefits (such as Social Security disability benefits, Medicaid, and food assistance programs). This applies to any federal program and any state or local program financed with federal fund

Use the EITC Assistant at irs.gov/eitc to determine eligibility and estimate the amount of your credit.

Read more from informing families.

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What You Can Do to Help Kids Stay on Medicaid in 2023

One of the few silver linings of our bleak public health reality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is that child health insurance coverage under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is at an all-time high. Due to temporary protections against Medicaid disenrollment, about 41 million children are insured through Medicaid or CHIP as of August 2022–greater than the population of California.  

The long-term benefits of Medicaid enrollment on the health and wellbeing of children–particularly young children between the ages of 0 and 3–are well documented. Medicaid covers half of all babies born in the United States, which is 40 percent of all children. Study after study has shown that childhood Medicaid coverage is associated with long-lasting benefits to overall health, educational attainment, and financial stability.  

However, temporary continuous coverage protections originally implemented as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response will end on March 31, 2023. This means that states will resume normal Medicaid renewal processes for all enrollees. Specifically, states will disenroll people who don’t complete the process or are newly ineligible for coverage. Policy advocates estimate that more than 6.7 million children are at risk of losing coverage if there is not a collective effort to ensure that all eligible children remain enrolled in Medicaid. State administrators, service providers, advocates, and parents/caregivers must all take proactive steps to ensure that children are not improperly disenrolled from Medicaid when states begin the massive administrative undertaking of restarting the re-enrollment process in the coming months. 

Read the full article from the Center for Law and Social Policy.

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Learning to Advocate for All Children

As parents and caregivers, learning to effectively advocate for their children can be a difficult learning curve.  But once this is achieved, family leaders can reach out beyond their own family and advocate on behalf of many children who have special health care needs. While it may be daunting to step into that larger world, family voices are one of the most powerful forces for change in our society. Here are some tools and organizations that can help you step up your advocacy game.

Washington Family Engagement has a Parent Leadership Training Institute which is a free, 12-week online course that teaches parents and those who care for children to understand systems and develop community, school engagement, and public speaking skills. As a graduation requirement, parents develop a project that benefits their schools and communities. The course offers five free elective college credits for those who graduate. The Parent Leadership Training Institute Spring Course will be available in English and Spanish, and will start on February 25th.

Several organizations teach workshops and classes entitled “Telling Your Story with a Purpose.” These workshops are intended to help you refine your thoughts and personal stories to effectively communicate your needs and the needs of your community to legislators and other officials. PAVE, DadsMOVE, and various Parent to Parent groups present these regularly, and upcoming events of this nature can be viewed on the Family to Family calendar.

Getting involved with one of the many family-led organizations that focus on children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), as a volunteer, committee member, or board member can take your advocacy to a whole new level. Here are four statewide CYSHCN that you can be a part of:

Dads M.O.V.E.  is a father-led organization for families who have children and youth with behavioral health issues.

PAVE supports children and youth with special needs, with an emphasis on those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Washington State Community Connectors centers on behavioral health challenges of children and youth, focusing on community-based solutions.

Washington State Parent to Parent (P2P) has county level offices, where parents of children youth with special health care needs can aid one another and advocate for children with special needs.

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FDA Experts Are Still Puzzled Over Who Should Get Which Covid Shots and When

At a meeting to simplify the nation’s covid vaccination policy, the FDA’s panel of experts could agree on only one thing: Information is woefully lacking about how often different groups of Americans need to be vaccinated. That data gap has contributed to widespread skepticism, undervaccination, and ultimately unnecessary deaths from covid-19.

The committee voted unanimously Thursday to support the FDA’s proposal for all vaccine-makers to adopt the same strain of the virus when making changes in their vaccines, and suggested they might meet in May or June to select a strain for the vaccines that would be rolled out this fall.

However, the panel members disagreed with the FDA’s proposal that everyone get at least one shot a year, saying more information was needed to make such a declaration. Several panelists noted that in recent studies, only about a third of people hospitalized with a positive covid test actually were there because of covid illness. That’s because everyone entering a hospital is tested for covid, so deaths of patients with incidental infections are counted as covid deaths even when it isn’t the cause.

The experts questioned the rationale for annual shots for everyone, given that current vaccines do not seem to protect against infection for more than a few months. Yet even a single booster seems to prevent death and hospitalization in most people, except for the very old and people with certain medical conditions.

“We need the CDC to tell us exactly who is getting hospitalized and dying of this virus — the ages, vulnerability, the type of immune compromise, and whether they were treated with antivirals. And we need immunological data to indicate who’s at risk,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Only then can we decide who gets vaccinated with what and when.”

Offit and others have expressed frustration over the lack of clear government messaging on what the public can expect from covid vaccines. While regular boosters might be important for keeping the elderly and medically frail out of the hospital, he said, the annual boosters suggested by the FDA and the drug companies may not be necessary for everyone.

Read the full article from KHN.

Emergency Need for Blood Donations 

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the Northwest Blood Coalition urge eligible blood donors to donate during National Blood Donor Month. The coalition serving Washington state includes: Vitalant, Cascade Regional Blood Centers, BloodworksNW, and the American Red Cross Northwest Region.

Donating blood is safe for donators and lifesaving for recipients. Donations are critical for patients undergoing surgeries, cancer treatments, blood disorder treatments, childbirth complications, and other serious and potentially life-threatening conditions and injuries. Most people in good health, at least 18 years old and weighing 110 pounds, can donate blood. People aged 16 and 17 may donate in Washington with signed permission forms.  

“Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood,” said Angel Montes, Donor Services Executive, Red Cross Northwest Region. “You can help patients in need by making a blood or platelet donation today.”  

The need for blood donations across the state is at a critical level which is anticipated to continue until donations increase. There is a specific need for younger volunteers willing to commit to multiple donations a year. Those who have regularly donated can encourage younger loved ones to join in the lifesaving commitment.    

“New blood donors are needed every day to replace those who can no longer donate,” said Jennifer Hawkins, Regional Director for Vitalant Northwest. “However, blood centers are seeing fewer people step forward to roll up their sleeves. This is a perfect time to donate and continue donating three times a year. If everyone did this, we would no longer have emergency blood shortages across the Pacific Northwest.”  

According to Curt Bailey, President and CEO at BloodworksNW, “The blood used in emergency situations is usually collected a week to ten days in advance. A community has to be ready for the next crisis situation. Consistent blood donations ensure a safe and reliable blood supply for our community and patients.”  

The President and CEO at Cascade Regional Blood Services, Christine Swinehart said, “Blood donations drop off every year during the holidays, yet the need remains high, creating emergency shortages like we are experiencing today. Kick off the new year by giving in the most meaningful way with your generous blood or platelet donation. Please make an appointment today at your community blood center and give the gift of life.” 

Donation Opportunities: 

·         RedCrossBlood.org 

·         BloodworksNW.org 

·         Vitalant.org/donate 

·         CRBS.net/donate 

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The Case of the Two Grace Elliotts: A Medical Billing Mystery

Earlier this year, Grace Elizabeth Elliott got a mysterious hospital bill for medical care she had never received.

She soon discovered how far a clerical error can reach — even across a continent — and how frustrating it can be to fix.

During a college break in 2013, Elliott, then 22, began to feel faint and feverish while visiting her parents in Venice, Florida, about an hour south of Tampa. Her mother, a nurse, drove her to a facility that locals knew simply as Venice Hospital.

In the emergency department, Elliott was diagnosed with a kidney infection and held overnight before being discharged with a prescription for antibiotics, a common treatment for the illness.

“My hospital bill was about $100, which I remember because that was a lot of money for me as an undergrad,” said Elliott, now 31.

She recovered and eventually moved to California to teach preschool. Venice Regional Medical Center was bought by Community Health Systems, based in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2014 and eventually renamed ShorePoint Health Venice.

The kidney infection and overnight stay in the ER would have been little more than a memory for Elliott.

Then another bill came.

Read the full article from KHN.

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About 5 Million Uninsured People Could Get ACA Marketplace Coverage Without a Monthly Premium – But They Would Have to Enroll Soon

About 5 million uninsured people across the country could get coverage through an Affordable Care Act Marketplace health plan with virtually no monthly premium if they enroll soon, a new KFF analysis finds.

In most states, open enrollment runs through January 15, with tax credits available to help eligible low- and middle-income people afford coverage. Those tax credits would offset the full monthly premium for the lowest cost plan or plans for millions of uninsured residents, the analysis finds.

Free or nearly-free premium silver plans with very low deductibles are available to all Marketplace subsidy-eligible enrollees with incomes up to 150% of poverty ($20,385 for individuals or $41,625 for families of four enrolling in 2023).  In some cases, there could be a small extra charge – usually no more than a few dollars per month – for non-essential benefits covered by the plan.

In some parts of the country, people with incomes above 150% of poverty can also get free or nearly free silver plans, with somewhat less generous cost-sharing reductions. For example, as can be seen in the interactive map, a 40-year-old making $25,000 per year (184% of poverty) could get a free or nearly free silver plan with a smaller cost-sharing reduction in about 8% of counties, excluding counties where individuals are eligible for Medicaid or Basic Health Program (BHP) plans. Less generous bronze plans with higher deductibles are often available without a premium at even higher incomes.

KFF has an online calculator that estimates the tax credits and premiums available to individuals and families based on their age, income, and location, and maintains more than 300 frequently asked questions about open enrollment, the health insurance marketplaces and the ACA.

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Want a Clue on Health Care Costs in Advance? New Tools Take a Crack at It

Need medical treatment this year and want to nail down your out-of-pocket costs before you walk into the doctor’s office? There’s a new tool for that, at least for insured patients.

As of Jan. 1, health insurers and employers that offer health plans must provide online calculators for patients to get detailed estimates of what they will owe — taking into account deductibles and copayments — for a range of services and drugs.

It’s the latest effort in an ongoing movement to make prices and upfront cost comparisons possible in a business known for its opaqueness.

Insurers must make the cost information available for 500 nonemergency services considered “shoppable,” meaning patients generally have time to consider their options. The federal requirement stems from the Transparency in Coverage rule finalized in 2020.

So how will it work?

Patients, knowing they need a specific treatment, drug, or medical service, first log on to the cost estimator on a website offered through their insurer or, for some, their employer. Next, they can search for the care they need by billing code, which many patients may not have; or by a general description, like “repair of knee joint,” or “MRI of abdomen.” They can also enter a hospital’s or physician’s name or the dosage amount of a drug for which they are seeking price information.

Not all drugs or services will be available in the first year of the tools’ rollout, but the required 500-item list covers a wide swath of medical services, from acne surgery to X-rays.

Once the information is entered, the calculators are supposed to produce real-time estimates of a patient’s out-of-pocket cost.

Starting in 2024, the requirement on insurers expands to include all drugs and services.

These estimator-tool requirements come on top of other price information disclosures that became effective during the past two years, which require hospitals and insurers to publicly post their prices, including those negotiated between them, along with the cost for cash-paying or uninsured patients.

Still, some hospitals have not fully complied with this 2021 disclosure directive and the insurer data released in July is so voluminous that even researchers are finding it cumbersome to download and analyze.

The price estimator tools may help fill that gap.

The new estimates are personalized, computing how much of an annual deductible patients still owe and the out-of-pocket limit that applies to their coverage. The amount the insurer would pay if the service were out of network must also be shown. Patients can request to have the information delivered on paper, if they prefer that to online.

Read the full article from KHN.