Policy and Communications

Policy and Communications

 

 

 

See associated grant program:
Making the Voices of Older Americans Heard
in Health Policy


Some of the most important determinants of the quality of care that older Americans receive can be found buried deep in federal Medicare regulations. From spending billions of dollars on quality and safety initiatives, to the testing of new health care delivery and payment models, to enacting codes and associated payments for such crucial areas as chronic care management, Medicare plays an important role in shaping health care for older adults. Whether in the media or in halls of government, the debate around Medicare reform—and other regulatory and legislative issues connected to health care for older adults— depends on accurate information, delivered powerfully and persuasively.

Policymakers and the public are often unaware of the dangers and failings that older people face or are far too accepting of a system that should be better. This new portfolio was created to advance the Foundation’s non-partisan mission through policy and communications grants and activities that will create an environment that supports all of our other efforts to put geriatrics expertise to work.

The Policy and Communications portfolio includes funding for work such as:

  • Communications activities that educate and inform the public, policymakers, and other influential stakeholder audiences about health and aging policy issues;
  • Advocacy by organizations that will influence the design and implementation of federal and state health care policies that affect older adults;
  • Projects that will influence regulatory change that improves health care for our aging society; and
  • Limited research that produces data and evidence necessary to inform policy making.

We put our grantees at the forefront of this work, and we support organizations that have a track record of success in policy or communications. As with our other strategies, we focus on widespread impact through national or multi-state activities. We also partner with other foundations and advocacy organizations working on issues in aging and health who we believe can influence health care delivery and payment reform in ways that will improve health care for older adults.

Examples include:

National Health Policy Forum

Funding: $900,000 over three years to George Washington University.

What It Does: Funds at least five events or reports for congressional and regulatory staff by the nonpartisan National Health Policy Forum during each year of the grant. The events and briefs focus largely on Medicare payment and service delivery reforms. Also supports a series of introductory health policy sessions for new congressional staff.

Partners: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; The SCAN Foundation; The Kresge Foundation; The Atlantic Philanthropies; Blue Shield of California Foundation; W.K. Kellogg Foundation; The Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation; California HealthCare Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Alliance of Community Health Plans; BlueCross BlueShield Association; Johnson & Johnson.

High Cost, High Need: Costs and Fragmentation of Care for Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Diseases

Funding: $879,465 to the Trustees of Dartmouth College

What It Does: Supports new analysis of combined Medicare, Medicaid, and nursing home data to examine care patterns and outcomes for high-cost older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Builds on and expands Dartmouth’s extensive research infrastructure and will produce a Dartmouth Atlas report on geographic variation from the patient’s perspective of care.

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