Health Announce: Oct. 8, 2024

10/08/24

Happy Fluffernutter Day!

Today is the day to celebrate this delicious marshmallow confection, invented in 1917 by Archibald Query in Somerville, Massachusetts. While the most popular sandwich recipe uses just peanut butter and fluffernutter, savory versions of the sandwich add bacon, or even olives! Fluffernutter is also a term used to describe something that lacks substance – the opposite of Health Announce! Topics this week include:

  1. HIV prevention medication PrEP covered as a preventative service under Medicare Part B with no out-of-pocket costs.

  2. Mass Home Care is now Mass Aging Access!

  3. Free COVID tests kits.

  4. Fall trainings from Massachusetts Health Care Training Forum announced.

  5. IAE Update.

Be well,

Jennifer Hotchkiss Kaplan

Senior Health Law Attorney

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

HIV prevention medication PrEP covered as a preventative service under Medicare Part B with no out-of-pocket costs.

As of September 30, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is covering PrEP as a preventative service with no out-of-pocket costs under Medicare Part B. The following services are covered under this change:

  • Oral or injectable PrEP for individuals at high risk of getting HIV

  • Administration of injectable PrEP

  • Individual counseling visits (up to 8 visits every 12 months) for HIV risk assessment, HIV risk reduction, and medication adherence

  • HIV screenings (up to 8 times every 12 months)

  • One Hepatitis B virus screening

Individuals should check with their pharmacists about filling their PrEP prescriptions. If there are any issues, individuals should select another pharmacist and report the issue to 1-800-MEDICARE. More information is available here.

Mass Home Care is now Mass Aging Access!

The non-profit membership association for the state’s 27 Aging Service Access Points (ASAPs) and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) – formerly known as Mass Home Care – is now Mass Aging Access.  Formed in 1982, this organization works with its member agencies to coordinate and deliver home and community-based services to older adults and individuals with disabilities to ensure high quality and access to diverse programs and services.  Information about the services and resources available throughout the Commonwealth to support independent living in the community is available on their website.

Free COVID tests kits.

Free at-home Covid test kits are again available from the federal government. Each household can order 4 free tests, delivered without cost.  Orders can be placed online or over the phone, at 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

Fall trainings from Massachusetts Health Care Training Forum announced.

The Massachusetts Health Care Training Forum (MTF) is offering five virtual meetings to provide important information, along with the opportunity to ask questions, on these topics:

  • MassHealth & Health Safety Net Updates

  • MA Health Care Learning Series

  • Medicare in 2025

  • Disability Evaluation Services Overview & MassHealth

  • MassHealth Training Forum Provider Updates

MTF offers each program at two separate dates and times.  Registration is now open for these programs.

IAE Update.

After significant advocacy from stakeholders, MassHealth announced in August that it would significantly amend the request for response (RFR) posted for the Independent Assessment Entity (IAE).  (A discussion of this announcement can be found in the August 27, 2024 Health Announce.) To recap, MassHealth intended to move intake, options counseling, and clinical eligibility assessments for eight long-term services and supports (LTSS) out of community-based organizations and agencies and, instead, have a single large entity contract with MassHealth to take them. The eight LTSS programs affected are personal care attendant (PCA) services, adult day health (ADH), adult family/foster care (AFC), group adult foster care (GAFC), day habilitation, PACE, Senior Care Options (SCO), and One Care.

When asked about community input and engaging with stakeholders in amending the RFR, MassHealth responded that it would work with the IAE Implementation Advisory Council, whose members received their appointment letters mid-September.  Individuals appointed to the council include MassHealth members, along with representatives from agencies that provide one of the in-scope LTSS programs or provide services for those agencies.  A list of the members of the IAE Implementation Council is available here.  The first meeting of the IAE advisory council has been scheduled for this Thursday, October 10, 2024.  As of publication of this newsletter, there is no information available about the meeting's place or time, or whether the meeting is open to the public in-person or virtually.