Other Policy Updates

 

  • American Academy of Pediatrics released a new study that found that over 140,000 children experienced the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver during the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk of losing a caregiver was much higher for children of racial and ethnic minorities.
  • Health plans are taking on a larger role in addressing the social drivers of health to achieve health equity. In a report published in September, the Anthem Public Policy Institute explored the affordable housing crisis in California, with a focus on patients experiencing homelessness. The report discusses how Medicaid managed care plans can partner with states to provide resources for individuals experiencing homelessness. Additionally, Humana recently invested $25 million as part of a broad population health campaign to support affordable housing initiatives. PCC board member Dr. Nwando Olayiwola, Chief Health Equity Officer at Humana, said, “Humana is committed to addressing structural and root cause barriers to good health outside of the clinical setting, such as access to healthy food, transportation, social connections and stable housing, to help eliminate unjust differences in health.”
  • In a new paper titled “Health Care for Our Nation's Veterans: A Policy Paper From the American College of Physicians,” the American College of Physicians (ACP) advocates for the patient-centered medical home model for primary care delivery in the Veterans Health Administration by sustaining and strengthening the Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) model.
  • On Oct. 7, the National Partnership for Women and Families along with over 50 other reproductive justice and Black policy leaders signed a letter to democratic congressional leadership urging them to commit to extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months and include other equity-focused provisions found in the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 (H.R. 959) in the reconciliation process.
  • On Oct. 13, a number of PCC Executive Members (including American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, Catalyst Health Network, and One Medical) signed on to a letter to executive leadership at the White House and HHS to include primary care physician practices in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
  • A partnership among Covered California (California’s ACA marketplace), California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and PCC Executive Member Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH) will launch a pilot program beginning in 2022 to test practice-level measurement using 11 advanced primary care measures developed by the California Quality Collaborative. 
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