Announcement/Press release

On September 22, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a proposed update of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Grants Guidance, which are the guidelines issued by OMB to federal agencies for use across all grants and other types of Federal financial assistance. The proposal aims to decrease the burden on recipients of federal financial assistance, advance equity, and meaningfully improve the administration of federal financial assistance. The proposed changes will: Reduce unnecessary compliance costs; Remove barriers to entry; and Ensure assistance serves intended communities. Public comments are due to OMB by Monday, December 4.

NCOA is currently accepting proposals for presentations for two events: The 7th Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day symposium will be held virtually on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Topics include: homelessness; serious mental illness; impact of nutrition on mental health; substance use disorders; and diverse populations. The Age + Action 2024 conference is scheduled for May 6th through 8th, 2024. The session categories are: business acumen; diverse populations; economic security; healthy living; public policy, advocacy & research; and senior centers.

The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury are seeking public input on how best to ensure coverage and access to over-the-counter (OTC) preventive services, including the benefits of requiring most health insurance plans to cover these services at no cost and without a prescription by a health care provider. This new Request for Information solicits comment on access to a range of OTC items recommended by experts for preventive care that can be purchased without a prescription, including contraceptives, tobacco smoking cessation products, folic acid during pregnancy, and breastfeeding supplies.

On October 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that all 10 drug companies whose drugs were selected for price negotiation with Medicare for the first cycle of the program have decided to participate in those negotiations. These selected drugs accounted for $50.5 billion in total Part D gross covered prescription drug costs, or about 20%, of total Part D gross covered prescription drug costs between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, which is the time period used to determine which drugs were eligible for negotiation. According to HHS, Medicare enrollees taking the 10 drugs covered under Part D selected for negotiation paid a total of $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2022 for these drugs.

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is currently seeking applicants for the 2024 WRP talent database. Current, full-time undergraduate or graduate students with disabilities, and recent graduates who received a postsecondary degree on or after April 1, 2021 from a U.S.-accredited college or university, are eligible to apply for WRP in fall 2023. The WRP provides college students and recent graduates with disabilities with career development and potential connections to federal employment. WRP is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense's Diversity Management Operations Center (DMOC).

On September 26, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Designated populations experience significant disparities in their rates of illness, morbidity, mortality and survival, driven by social disadvantage, compared to the health status of the general population. This designation is one of several steps the NIH is taking to address health disparities experienced by people with disabilities and to ensure representation in NIH research studies.

NCOA has issued a call for presentations for their 7th Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day symposium. The free virtual event is scheduled for Thursday, May 2, 2024, and will be hosted by NCOA with funding provided by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The symposium is designed to raise awareness to better address the issues of older adult mental health and substance use disorders and highlight resources, case studies, and initiatives available to practitioners working with adults age 50+ living in the community. Last year, over 9,500 people registered for the event...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that beginning Monday, September 25th, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered to their home.

In April, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the ‘HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Program’ to maintain broad access to COVID-19 vaccines for millions of uninsured Americans. This program, Administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has created a unique public-private partnership to help maintain uninsured individuals’ access to COVID-19 care at their local pharmacies, through existing public health infrastructure, and at their local health centers. This week, the program officially launches, providing continued free coverage for the estimated 25-30 million adults who would have otherwise lost access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the first 10 drugs covered under the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit selected for negotiation. As a result of the Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), Medicare, for the first time, has the ability to directly negotiate prices of certain high expenditure, single source drugs without generic or biosimilar competition, based on total gross covered prescription drug costs under Medicare Part D and other criteria as required by the law. The negotiations with participating drug companies will occur in 2023 and 2024, and any negotiated prices will become effective beginning in 2026. The negotiation process will consider the selected drug’s clinical benefit...