NEWS & VIEWS

August 29, 2024

Rainbow Resilience: Healthcare Disparities

Among Black LGBTQ+ 

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation released this comprehensive report detailing the significant challenges Black LGBTQ+ communities face in accessing equitable healthcare due to systemic biases and societal inequities. The report points out how the intersectionality of race, sexual orientation, and gender intensifies health disparities, placing Black LGBTQ+ individuals in particularly vulnerable situations.

August is Civic Health Month 

Civic Health Month, held every August, is dedicated to highlighting the connection between voting and health. Over 400 organizations, including prominent medical institutions, come together to emphasize the role of healthcare systems in promoting civic engagement. This initiative underscores the fact that 80% of health outcomes are influenced by non-medical factors, such as housing and food access, and by empowering communities to vote, healthcare institutions help improve civic health, fostering healthier communities. 

Family Friendly Schools

The 2025-2026 Family Friendly Schools Designation process is now open. Started in 2015, the designation recognizes and honors schools that focus on addressing the academic, physical, emotional, and social needs of students, while providing the needed resources and fostering the active involvement of their families through the school and community. Schools recognized welcome all families into the school community, communicate effectively, support student success, speak up for every child, share power, and collaborate with the community. Application deadline is October 29, 2024.

PE Teachers & Out-of-School Time Professionals

Join INSHAPE’s conference partners School Health and the Indiana Department of Health, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity for FREE professional development trainings for K-12 Indiana physical education teachers, health educators, and youth-serving organization program coordinators to engage students in active movement throughout before, during, and afterschool settings.

These one-day trainings will focus on teaching participants new and creative ways to engage youth and adolescents to become physically active in before, during, and afterschool settings, including techniques on inclusive and adaptive play, social and emotional learning activities, and activities to offer with limited PE equipment available.

Register below for a specific location (additional details are also included):

• Lafayette, IN—September 10, 2024; click here
• South Bend, IN—September 11, 2024; click here
• Bloomington, IN—September 24, 2024; click here
• Indianapolis, IN—September 25, 2024; click here

Everyone Has an Opportunity to Quit Tobacco Use

A recent CDC article highlights the critical need to ensure all smokers have access to treatment and support to quit. In 2022, while most of the 28.8 million U.S. adult smokers wanted to quit, fewer than 10% succeeded, with many lacking the necessary advice, assistance, and treatment. Proven methods, like counseling and medication, were underused, with only 4 in 10 smokers employing these strategies, and just half receiving clinician support.

To reduce tobacco-related disease and death, it’s essential to expand access to these resources. Outreach to employers, health professionals, and community members can help increase awareness of Quit Now Indiana’s free services, including counseling and nicotine replacement medications, which have a proven success rate.

Higher Tax Credits Continue in 2025

Marketplace open enrollment is November 1, 2024 – January 15, 2025. In 2021 Congress passed enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) as part of the American Rescue Plan and extended them through 2025 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The enhanced PTCs substantially increase subsidies for Marketplace coverage making Marketplace coverage more affordable for eligible people. Since 2021, enrollment in Marketplace plans has increased by 31% (5 million people). It will be up to Congress whether to let the enhanced PTCs expire, extend them, or even make them permanent.

A recent study by the Urban Institute considered the impact on coverage for the nonelderly population (under age 65) with and without the enhanced PTCs by race and ethnicity. The study found that Black and Hispanic people will see greater reductions in their uninsured rate in 2025 relative to White people because of the enhanced PTCs. These gains would likely be reversed if Congress does not extend the PTCs past their 2025 expiration.

New IDOH Dashboard

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Maternal and Child Health Division announced a new dashboard to measure infant mortality and birth outcomes. The dashboard includes data from 2014 – 2022 on county birth outcomes and infant mortality rates. The data are available at the county or district level and include preterm births, low birth weight, not breastfeeding, no early prenatal care, mothers on Medicaid, teen birth rate, and birth rate. 

CMS Educational Resources

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offers many resources and tools including the page on Medicaid and CHIP Renewals Outreach and Educational Resources. The page offers general renewal materials in multiple languages as well as audience- specific toolkits (faith-based, provider-centered messaging, etc.)

Underutilization of Benefits

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) released a new interactive map showing participation by individuals 65+ in three benefit programs – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), which help with Medicare premiums, deductibles, and co-insurance. Across the nation, there are aging folks who are not accessing the services they are entitled to. Indiana is no exception, as seen below.

• 87,815 Hoosier 65+ are eligible for SNAP but do not receive benefits.
• 42,318 Hoosier 65+ are eligible for SSI but do not receive benefits.
• 201,045 Hoosiers 65+ are eligible for MSP but do not receive benefits.

Information in the map is available on the state, county, and zip code levels.

Medicare Mondays

Want to learn more about a variety of Medicare topics? The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) live streams Medicare Mondays on their Facebook page. For example, the most recent video was about Medicare coordination with Employer Coverage and COBRA.

Beyond the Basics

Beyond the Basics announced their annual training series which will be a mix of live webinars and “office hours” sessions. These webinars will be recorded and available on the website along with past webinars. All webinars and office hours are at 2 pm EST.

September 3^rd - Office Hours: Determining Households and Income

September 10^th - Office Hours: Premium Tax Credits

September 17^th – Webinar: Immigration -Related Eligibility for Health Coverage Programs

September 24^th – Webinar: Boosting Enrollment Among People Who Are Immigrants & Their Families: Outreach and Application Process Considerations

October 1^st – Webinar: Preventing and Resolving Data Matching Issues

October 8^th – Webinar: What's New for 2025

October 10^th – Webinar: El Mercado de Seguros Medicos: Novedades para 2025

October 15^th – Office Hours: Plan Design and Plan Comparison

October 22^nd – Office Hours: HealthCare.gov Redetermination & Renewal Process for 2025

October 29^th – Webinar: Enrollment Trivia Challenge

Outreach and Enrollment Planning Summit

Young Invincibles is planning the 5^th annual Summit. This free event will cover topics related to the upcoming 2025 Marketplace Open Enrollment including enhanced financial help and new options for DACA recipients. A full agenda will be released soon.

The summit is on October 3^rd from 12:30 – 5 pm ET. You can register here.

Please note: Registration for this event requires an active Zoom account, which is simple and free to get. If you do not have a Zoom account, you can learn more and sign up here. 

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