Reports

This infographic illustrates the intersection of environmental justice with human services policies and programs. It presents key facts about how participants in human services programs are particularly affected by environmental injustice, and the ways in which these programs can help mitigate the effects of environmental issues, including climate change.

This tool was developed to assist states and local communities in braiding, blending, or layering multiple federal funding streams (for example, Head Start and the Child Care and Development Fund) to increase the supply of quality early care and education and increase access to comprehensive early childhood and family support services within a coordinated, comprehensive early childhood system a

This report develops an approach for valuing COVID-19 mortality and morbidity risk reductions based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis. Valuing risk reductions associated with regulations or other policies that address the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents major challenges.

Between 2011 and 2018, increasing numbers of infants were removed from their parents or caregivers. From 2011 to 2018 the number of infants entering foster care increased 24 percent reaching around 50,000 in 2018. This increase was nearly 13 times as much as the 1.8 percent increase in placements for other age groups .

Over the past 20 years, Medicare and many private payers have transitioned to policies known collectively as value based purchasing (VBP). The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on health, health care, the economy, and our daily lives over the past 15 months.

This factsheet provides descriptive information on child care eligibility and receipt. Of the 12.8 million children eligible for child care subsidies under federal rules, 15 percent received subsidies. Of the 8.4 million children eligible for child care subsidies under state rules, 23 percent received subsidies. Poorer children were more likely to receive subsidies than less poor children.

As of August 4, 2021, 70.1 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, vaccine coverage varies dramatically across the country, with vaccine coverage being less than 40 percent in a third of U.S. counties. Despite a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines, daily vaccinations have dwindled in recent months.

For working-age adults with disabilities, consistent access to health insurance may be critical to continuity of care and good health outcomes. We tracked changes in health insurance coverage for this population from 2010-2018.

This report focuses on research networks that engage in or support research on patient-centered outcomes. The report was produced as part of the strategic planning process for the Office of the Secretary Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund portfolio. Related Products

This Issue Brief describes changes in the uninsured rate, health coverage, and access to care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and discusses key policies for this population, including how the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) builds on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and invests additional resources in the Indian health care system.

States have embraced Medicaid telehealth flexibilities during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), enhancing beneficiary access to services delivered via telehealth. This Issue Brief examines state Medicaid telehealth coverage and policies before and after the COVID-19 PHE was declared in January 2020.Related Products

This report provides welfare dependence indicators through 2018 for most indicators and through 2019 for other indicators, reflecting changes that have taken place since enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996.

Medicaid and the Marketplace are important sources of affordable, comprehensive healthcare coverage for millions of Americans living in rural areas, and the American Rescue Plan bolsters rural coverage options. But challenges in accessing care remain in many rural areas, including provider shortages, infrastructure limitations, and long distances to care.

The goal of this solicitation is to improve the effectiveness of public policies that reduce poverty, inequality, and their consequences, promote economic mobility and equity, and further develop knowledge of the structural causes of poverty, inequality, and economic insecurity.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) offers enhanced health insurance premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions for people receiving unemployment compensation (UC) benefits in 2021. The enhanced subsidies are accessible on HealthCare.gov as of July 1, 2021.

This Issue Brief analyzes national survey data to discuss demographic characteristics of the LGB+ community, recent trends in insurance coverage for this population, and various challenges and barriers to care faced by the broader LGBTQ+ community.Related Products

The HHS Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis (2016) discuss an approach to valuing mortality risk reductions, commonly referred to as the value per statistical life (VSL). This appendix provides background information on the VSL estimates, describes the process for updating these values, reports the estimates in 2020 dollars, and illustrates their application.

Medicare FFS beneficiary service use and associated payments to providers dropped substantially from mid-March through mid-April, but had returned to near-2019 levels by the fall of 2020. The rebound in the fall was not sufficient to offset the earlier declines in the spring, and cumulative payment levels across all states were lower in 2020 compared to 2019.

To support state and local communication and outreach efforts, ASPE developed state, county, and sub-state level predictions of hesitancy rates using the most recently available federal survey data, the Household Pulse Survey from May 26-June 7, 2021. This page includes an interactive map, a pdf file with a methodological description, and datasets for download.

To support state and local communication and outreach efforts, ASPE developed state, county, and sub-state level predictions of hesitancy rates using the most recently available federal survey data, the Household Pulse Survey from May 25-June 7, 2021. This page includes an interactive map and datasets for download.

This Issue Brief presents current estimates of enrollment in health insurance coverage obtained through the ACA Marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion and the subsequent reductions in state-level uninsured rates since the ACA was implemented in 2014.Related Products

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2021 requires the Department of Labor to convene a committee to report to Congress recommendations for a standardized reporting format for the voluntary reporting by group health plans to State APCDs. ASPE commissioned this report to support that committee.

Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (5 PDF pages)

June 1, 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (5 PDF pages)

June 1, 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (66 PDF pages)

This Data Point presents estimates of potential Medicaid eligibility among uninsured, non-elderly adults in states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

Program administrators and frontline workers across a range of human services programs early in the COVID-19 pandemic shared important takeaways around how to better utilize technology to administer virtual services.

This brief documents the increases in the average amount that families have paid for ECE over two decades among children under age five using data from the National Household Education Survey, Early Childhood Program Participation (NHES-ECPP). The findings show that the child care market has experienced considerable change in recent decades.

State and Community Efforts to Address Stimulant Use Rebecca L. Haffajee and Sara Heins RAND Corporation May 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (48 PDF pages)

This Issue Brief analyzes changes in coverage from 2013-2019 among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and AAPI subgroups, using a combination of data from the American Community Survey (ACS) and Marketplace data, including estimated impacts of the 2021 American Rescue Plan.

Focus groups with a small sample of program participants across a range of human services programs in Fall 2020 captured the perspectives of people served to better understand the perceived strengths and limitations of virtual services.

Socially at-risk individuals receive lower-quality health care and experience worse health outcomes than more advantaged individuals. One way to address this in the Medicare population is to use Medicare’s value-based purchasing (VBP) programs, quality reporting efforts, and confidential reports as tools to drive improvements in quality.

This study presents the findings of a national survey of physicians about their knowledge of biosimilar biological products as well as the impact of biological product naming conventions on prescriber choice. Related Products

This is an evaluation policy for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), required by the Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act). ASPE convened a group of agency representatives from across HHS operating and staff divisions to develop the policy.

As part of the Evidence Act, HHS is required to submit “an evaluation plan describing activities the agency plans to conduct pursuant to [its evidence-building plan].” Nine operating divisions within HHS and one staff division developed evaluation plans and included information on priority questions being examined by the agencies as well as data, methods, and challenges to addressing those ques

Ensuring equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is essential to mitigate the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority populations. This brief summarizes currently available data on race and ethnicity of vaccinated persons at the state level.

Limited initial supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine necessitated the development of strategies to ensure efficient and equitable vaccine distribution. This brief summarizes the different vaccine distribution strategies and approaches taken by states and evaluates the extent to which these may have impacted the efficiency with which doses delivered to states are administered to patients.

ABSTRACT: Residential treatment facilities are a key component of states' behavioral health systems. They form part of the spectrum of treatment for both mental and substance use disorders (M/SUDs).

The COVID-19 pandemic drove a large and rapid transition from in-person human service delivery to virtual approaches. Measuring the implementation and outcomes of virtual human services in a timely way is crucial to understanding the challenges and successes for a variety of participants across programs and services.

Program managers can take clear steps during emergencies to initially assess the extent to which emergency flexibilities or waivers achieve intended outcomes and advance programmatic goals.

March 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (9 PDF pages)

March 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (57 PDF pages)

March 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (80 PDF pages)

Has Treatment for Substance Use Disorders Increased? ASPE ISSUE BRIEF Ellen Bouchery Mathematica March 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (10 PDF pages)

Mental Health Treatment Need and Treatment System Capacity ASPE ISSUE BRIEF Ellen Bouchery Mathematica March 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (8 PDF pages)

Age Group Differences in Progress toward Reducing Substance Use Disorders, 2015-2018 ASPE ISSUE BRIEF Ellen Bouchery Mathematica March 2021 Link to Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (7 PDF pages)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented economic and social impact on Americans, with particularly harsh effects on people in certain race and ethnic groups. Public programs intended to address these needs have also had uneven reach, with many less likely to benefit families of color.

These supplemental data tables are for the ASPE Issue Brief series, Access to Marketplace Plans with Low Premiums on the Federal Platform, that examines the availability of zero-premium and low-premium (defined as less than or equal to $50 per month) plans after application of advanced premium tax credits in states served by the federal Marketplace platform, HealthCare.gov, before and after the

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) enhances and expands Marketplace premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. Among the nearly 8 million current HealthCare.gov enrollees, we estimate 79 percent could find a zero premium health plan and 87 percent could find a low premium health plan under the ARP.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented economic crisis with inequitable effects. Overall employment figures mask the disparate impacts on some communities of color, women, and low-wage workers. These groups were more likely to lose jobs, reduce hours worked, or withdraw from the labor market.