Last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a notice and request for comments on their effort to improve the quality and usefulness of Federal race and ethnicity data. The topics for evaluation include 1) whether the guidelines for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity data can be improved, 2) how to best address detailed race and ethnicity groups; and 3) the wording of questions and instructions for respondents.  The working group is also seeking participants for their virtual, bi-monthly listening sessions to hear directly from members of the public. According to one study analyzing the latest  Census data, the rural population declined between 2010 and 2020 to just 14 percent of the U.S. total.  At the same time, racial and ethnic diversity in rural areas increased overall, with Hispanics representing 9 percent of the rural population, followed by non-Hispanic Black people, representing 7.7 percent.  Nearly one-third of all rural children (32.5 percent) come from racial or ethnic minority populations, compared to 28.1 percent in 2010. Comments are due by April 12, 2023.

This week, a federal panel of experts issued new guidelines for people with HIV who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are trying to conceive.  Thanks to antiretroviral medications and other viral suppression strategies, parent-to-child transmission of HIV is less than 1 percent in the United States. The updated recommendations include new information about the use of antiretroviral drugs before and during pregnancy, guidance for pregnant people who have not achieved viral suppression, and infant feeding options.  The Panel on Antiretroviral Therapy and Medical Management of Children Living with HIV also co-authored sections published in the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection. Updates to these guidelines are anticipated in April 2023.

  Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced efforts to make it easier for rural healthcare providers to access funding for high-speed broadband connections and telecommunications services.  Four new proposals for the FCC’s Rural Health Care Program are intended to make it easier for providers to receive support, reduce delays in funding commitments, and improve the overall efficiency of the program.  Public response to FCC proposals in February 2022 brought about the current changes that include the way service rates are determined and invoiced.  The Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking announced on January 26 includes fine-tuning rules for determining rural and urban rates, and making it easier for healthcare providers to receive funding as soon as they become eligible.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a Special Enrollment Period for qualified beneficiaries of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Between March 31, 2023, and July 31, 2024, CMS will allow Marketplace-eligible consumers to submit a new application or update an existing application through HealthCare.gov. A recently released study, conducted pre-pandemic, showed that nearly two-thirds of disenrolled beneficiaries had a period of uninsurance.  Healthcare providers and other community-based organizations can assist with outreach to individuals and families who may lose coverage. To help you better understand what states can do, the nonprofit State Health & Value Strategies provides two resources for state Medicaid agencies, state-based marketplaces, labor departments, and employers.  The first is an issue brief discussing strategies for helping people understand and navigate their coverage options.  A companion brief describes the importance of a Medicaid disenrollment survey to monitor coverage changes (p. 4) associated with the unwinding of continuous enrollment.