Care Disparities

Medicaid Health Plan Will Reimburse Health Equity Certification

March 22, 2024 - Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc.—a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation that offers Medicaid coverage—announced that it will cover part of the fee hospitals must pay to undergo health equity certification through the Joint Commission. “We're thrilled to be the first Medicaid health plan in the country to...

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Dental Coverage in Medicare Advantage Plans Varies by Demographic

by Victoria Bailey

Almost a third of beneficiaries had a Medicare Advantage plan that didn’t offer dental coverage in 2019, but coverage was more common among historically underserved populations, a study published...

How Affordability Challenges Reveal Care Disparities for ESI Members

by Kelsey Waddill

Employees in employer-sponsored health plans face significant care disparities based on income, sexual orientation, and race that influence health outcomes for each group, a report from Morgan Health...

Half of Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries Left Plan After 5 Years

by Victoria Bailey

Around half of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries disenrolled from their health plan after five years, a study published in JAMA Health Forum found. Capitated payments to Medicare Advantage plans aim to...

How Mental and Behavioral Health Disparities Impact Adults, Youth

by Victoria Bailey

Mental and behavioral health disparities disproportionately impact racial minority groups, people with disabilities, and those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, a report from UnitedHealth...

English Proficiency Can Impact Care Disparities, Coverage Rates

by Kelsey Waddill

Limited English proficiency (LEP) can significantly stunt a patient’s ability to communicate with doctors and receive care, which results in broader care disparities along racial and ethnic...

Coverage Rates Equalize For LGBT Community, But Disparities Remain

by Kelsey Waddill

Coverage rates in the LGBT community have improved since the Affordable Care Act went into effect and the Supreme Court ruled on marriage equality, but access to care barriers remain, according to a...

Medicare Coverage of Weight Loss Drugs May Reduce Access Disparities

by Victoria Bailey

Given the substantial costs, Medicare coverage of weight loss drugs could lead to higher Medicare spending but may help reduce access disparities, according to a KFF policy watch. GLP-1 (glucagon-like...

Improve Coverage, Health Equity By Diversifying Broker Recruitment

by Kelsey Waddill

When Access Health CT (AHCT), Connecticut’s marketplace, published its health equity report, leaders of the state health insurance marketplace knew that something needed to change. In a state that ranks among the healthiest and...

6 Ways That Health Plans Can Influence A State’s Health Equity

by Kelsey Waddill

With ample fiscal resources and a wide scope of influence, payers can leverage investments, purchasing decisions, network priorities, and other strategies to contribute to health equity, a report from...

CA Health Plans Commit $114M to Address Homelessness, Health Equity

by Victoria Bailey

LA Care Health Plan and Health Net have committed to investing $114 million over five years to address homelessness and improve health equity in Los Angeles County. The health plans have collaborated...

Report: Public Insurance Option Would Not Exacerbate Racial Disparities

by Victoria Bailey

Implementing a public insurance option would not significantly impact hospital spending, nor would it exacerbate racial disparities in care access for Black and Hispanic populations, an Urban Institute...

Lacking Medicaid Supplemental Insurance Tied to Racial Care Disparities

by Victoria Bailey

Losing eligibility for Medicaid supplemental insurance was associated with racial care disparities among beneficiaries with incomes above 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), a study...

Study Finds Racial Coverage Disparities Following Unemployment

by Victoria Bailey

After becoming unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid coverage gains helped offset private insurance losses for White individuals but not for Black and Hispanic individuals, highlighting...

UnitedHealth Group Commits $2M to Improve Health Equity for LGBTQ+ Youth

by Victoria Bailey

UnitedHealth Group’s philanthropic group, the United Health Foundation, has committed $2 million to help improve health equity and boost access to mental healthcare for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth in...

Medicaid Expansion Tied to Higher Coverage Gains, Fewer Disparities

by Victoria Bailey

While insurance coverage rates improved for Black, Hispanic, and White adults during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gains were more significant in states that had implemented...

Health Insurance Impacts Racial Inequities in Cervical Cancer Diagnoses

by Victoria Bailey

Health insurance coverage may help mitigate racial inequities in advanced-stage cervical cancer diagnoses, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Undergoing regular cervical cancer...

NCQA Recognizes WI UnitedHealthcare Plan for Health Equity Efforts

by Victoria Bailey

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its efforts to advance health equity and address care disparities. The NCQA...

CareSource, Walmart Partner to Address Racial Health Disparities

by Victoria Bailey

CareSource has partnered with Walmart to address maternal and racial health disparities in underserved communities by leveraging the retail giant’s in-store community health workers. The payer,...

BCBST Report Reveals Racial Care Disparities Among TN Residents

by Victoria Bailey

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) has published its first health equity report, revealing the racial care disparities that Tennessee residents face in behavioral healthcare, maternal...

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