Disability

The existence of multiple operational definitions for intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) in analyzing administrative claims data for health services and public health research limits translation of study findings to inform policies, programs, and practice.

In 2020, Congress designated the new 988 dialing code to be operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was established to improve access to immediate support to meet the behavioral health crisis needs in the United States.

State Medicaid programs have the option to cover supported employment services, but use of these services by the Medicaid population has not been widely studied.

This report outlines a feasibility study focused on obtaining identifiers for self-directed Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) users within Medicaid claims data. Financial Management Services (FMS) entities assist individuals in managing the financial aspects of self-directed care, including payroll and billing.

Prior research from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) show older adults receiving federal housing assistance face disproportionately high rates of chronic conditions and health care utilization.

This Issue Brief explores telehealth use for people and Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities and examines questions on the use of audio-only telehealth during the second and third years of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) expanded financial assistance in Medicare’s Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Program would have benefited nearly 461,000 Partial LIS enrollees had the provision been in effect in 2020. An additional 2.9 million Part D enrollees who were eligible but not enrolled in LIS would also have benefited from the program.

This report describes validation of claims-based frailty algorithms for potential use in Medicare claims. Related Products:

RAND identified use cases on identifying frailty using electronic health record (EHR) data in health systems in the US and examples from other countries, which demonstrate applications in both primary and specialist care. The final EHR implementation guide summarizes the learnings from participants in the EHR Learning Network and the identified use cases.

As the United States population ages, a larger proportion of individuals will likely need and use long-term services and supports (LTSS). Much of this support is provided by informal (i.e., unpaid) caregivers. For those that need paid LTSS, most Americans pay out-of-pocket. Some may do so until their personal resources are exhausted, and then rely on the Medicaid safety net.