Here’s stuff to brighten your day…
Our cities and rural areas are getting safer.
Overall crime rates have dropped – a lot...
unless you own a Kia or Hyundai.
Murder rates are dropping as well
Net – safer cities and towns.
Inflation???
Business owners’ consensus view is inflation will remain near 2 percent...this from the Atlanta Fed.
Healthier people!
2 Medicaid items of note
North Carolina is expanding Medicaid – terrific news for poorer folks in the Tar Heel State. Great news for the 346,000 residents who now can actually get healthcare.
In some states, Medicaid is expanding coverage to include housing and nutrition, a major step towards improving the health of Medicaid recipients. What I love about this is research indicates housing and food stability enable people to a) get healthier, b) focus on school and work (hard to study or work when you are hungry and living on the streets).
Kudos to the Trump Administration for jump-starting CMS’ investment in social determinants.
CMS’ move is just the latest that recognizes the critical importance of stable housing and reliable nutrition. From WaPo:
social determinants of health — essentially, the conditions in which people live — have an enormous bearing on well-being. Medical care, studies have shown, accounts for only 20 percent of the difference in patients’ health, while social risk factors are responsible for half to 80 percent.
And it’s not just Medicaid…
Last year, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which evaluates health plans and medical practitioners, updated a data tool used by 90 percent of health plans, requiring them to report whether they have assessed patients for shortages of housing, transportation and food.
See you in Boston March 5 – 6 for WCRI…it’s sold out BUT there is a waiting list… click on the link to sign up.
