MHA Today | October 19, 2020

Staff Contact: Andrew Wheeler

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that Medicare Open Enrollment officially is open and will run through Monday, Dec. 7. During Open Enrollment, Medicare beneficiaries can compare coverage options and choose prescription drug plans for 2021. CMS reports that since 2017, Medicare Advantage average monthly premiums have decreased 34%. CMS also reminds beneficiaries that certain prescription drug plans offer many types of insulin at a maximum copayment of $35 for a 30-day supply. Previously, CMS announced that the 2021 MA plans will offer expanded coverage for telehealth services. MA plans offering telehealth coverage will increase from 58% in 2020 to 94% in 2021.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma stated, “I hope everyone with Medicare takes time over the next few weeks to review their health and drug coverage for next year. There are more plans than ever to choose from, many new benefits and historically low plan premiums. Shopping for plans is easy with Medicare Plan Finder.”

Staff Contact: Shawn Billings or Sarah Willson

An estimated 1.6 million people had opioid use disorder in 2019; of these, only 18.1% received medication treatment for opioid misuse. To address this gap, in May 2019, the National Institutes of Health announced plans to invest more than $350 million to support the multiyear HEALing Communities Study, a multisite research study that will test the impact of an integrated set of evidence-based practices on reducing opioid-related overdose deaths by 40% in three years in communities hard-hit by the opioid crisis.

The study’s findings will establish best practices tailored to the needs of local communities for increasing the number of people receiving medication to treat OUD, preventing opioid overdose deaths, reducing high-risk opioid prescribing and creating a model to curb the nation’s opioid crisis. An integral feature of the study’s design is to test the impact of engaging state and local governments, as well as community groups such as police departments, faith-based organizations and schools.

The HEALing Communities Study is funded by the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term^SM Initiative and is administered in partnership by NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.