NEWS: ConsejoSano is now !
We're creating a healthier, more equitable world by helping Medicaid & Medicare plans build strong cultural connections to empower members.
I'm thrilled to be on this journey. Learn more here. #ConsejoSanoNext
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Abner Mason
@abnermason
Building cultural connections for a healthier, more equitable world | Founder & CEO, | He/him/his | #HealthEquity #Medicaid #SDOH
Abner Mason’s Tweets
I was humbled to help advance the legislation that created in the early part of the century.
As notes in this piece, PEPFAR has saved 25 million lives.
That's the kind of result that we must support. #healthequity
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Our final prediction for health equity in 2023 comes from of , and it's a good one.
Collaboration is critical to increasing health equity.
Dan and his team know that better than most.
Read 's prediction blog here: sameskyhealth.com/latest-thinkin
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T4: We can pick and choose which parts of healthcare are worth preserving.
That’s where pilot projects, intentional collaborations and investments, and ongoing measurement come in.
Experiment, determine what works, and scale.
Don’t be afraid to move quickly. #hcldr
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T3: Health equity efforts need both incremental and disruptive innovation.
Incremental: All of healthcare must adopt a health equity lens, which takes time and many small steps forward.
Disruptive: The toll of health inequities is grave, so we need big changes now. #hcldr
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T2: The best thing healthcare can do for itself and the people we serve is to listen and engage.
When I founded , we focused on language.
That was valuable, but listening to people inspired us to go deeper around culture. It was a groundbreaking shift. #hcldr
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T1: We’re seeing incremental innovation in action right now.
FCC gave the go-ahead for states & health plans to text members en masse, without consent, for the Medicaid unwinding.
I imagine that effort will expand when we see the results: continuity of coverage. #hcldr
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Hey everyone. I'm Abner, founder and CEO of , based in L.A.
I can't make it to this #hcldr live, so I scheduled some posts.
I'm looking forward to reading tomorrow. Enjoy your chat!
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Engagement is more critical than ever as we near the Medicaid unwinding.
After all, 15 million+ people are at risk of losing coverage.
Impersonal mailers won't do the job.
Culturally tailored outreach will: sameskyhealth.com/case-study-med
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Connecticut had no health insurance brokers in low-income urban communities.
launched Broker Academy to help people of color become brokers & boost coverage.
examines how that's faring in the face of the Medicaid unwinding.
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Researchers examined the experiences of >1.1 million veterans to see whether wait times differed for Black and Hispanic vets.
After COVID struck, wait times "increased significantly" for vets of color.
We must overcome barriers to access. jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman
"The expansion of broadband internet services has helped level the playing field for rural communities," says 's CEO.
The work is far from over, but I agree that internet affordability and accessibility is key.
Read on at . beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-manag
The Biden Administration has announced it's ending the COVID public health emergency May 11. Here's what that means.
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The Medicaid unwinding is just about here.
If your health plan is going to succeed in supporting continuity of coverage, now is the time to act.
Don't forget texting.
Don't forget culture.
See what I mean: static1.squarespace.com/static/6168965
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Have you heard the news?
has released our discussion series, Under the Same Sky, as a podcast.
Join me as I pick the brains of health equity advocates who are making a real difference.
I promise you will learn a thing or two.
More: sameskyhealth.com/under-the-same
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In a CDC dataset of >50 million Covid-19 cases:
> 17 million did not have race/ethnicity data
That’s 34% of cases.
Just 1% of cases were missing data on age and sex.
That gap poses risks. More via : statnews.com/2023/01/30/cov
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In NJ, officials expect roughly 230K people to lose Medicaid coverage during the unwinding.
But the number could reach 352K.
The good news: "We thought it was going to be happening earlier than this year, so they’ve laid things in place."
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What prevents EMS workers from delivering the most optimal prehospital care for patients with limited English proficiency?
They point to:
- Ineffective language interpretation
- Cultural differences
- Distrust
More: jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman
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Next month: Healthcare organizations have a unique opportunity to identify and address health inequities.
It all starts with the data.
Join me for this webinar on how to effectively collect REL, SOGI, and SDOH data: sameskyhealth.com/events/ssh-web
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Children deserve health and protection from COVID-19.
To improve these numbers, we need to be proactive rather than wait and hope people will make the decision unprompted.
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It’s astounding how low US COVID-19 vaccination rates are for children
Under 2 & high risk: 3.5%
2-4: 5.3%
5-11: 33.5%
12-17: 61.5%
covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra
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"1 in 4 potentially undocumented Hispanic adults and over 1 in 10 lawful permanent resident Hispanic adults reported that they or a family member did not participate in a government assistance program in the past three years due to immigration-related fears"
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Amid a constantly evolving policy landscape and rising activity at the border, what is the current status of some key federal immigration policies?
New policy brief by @KFF provides background and latest updates on Title 42, DACA, and public charge.
kff.org/racial-equity-
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The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on myriad inequities and disparities in healthcare. Vermont is taking action, awarding 30 organizations with grants to help them curb health disparities among communities hardest hit during the pandemic. More:
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"Given that probably more than 50% of Americans are going to get their health care through Medicare Advantage, there’s an onus on [CMMI] to drive greater focus on introducing new models for Medicare Advantage." -
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As @CMSinnovates advances new payment models and care delivery systems, it should place more emphasis on #MedicareAdvantage, according to SCAN Group CEO Dr. @sacjai: hospicenews.com/2023/01/23/sca @JimHospice @JimHospice
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In 2020, 70% of new HIV diagnoses were among men who have sex with men, with large disparities by race and ethnicity
MSM and transgender people have disproportionate risk of HIV
hiv.gov/hiv-basics/ove
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30,000 Vermonters could lose coverage in the Medicaid unwinding.
One is Grace Beninson, who has diabetes and congestive heart failure.
"I pretty much have to turn to the food pantry to fill in the gaps that I can’t afford myself out of my income." wcax.com/2023/01/24/tho
- HHS provided $75 billion in pandemic relief funding to 4 agencies
- $29 billion supported communities disproportionately affected by COVID
- $33 billion went to states
- States faced challenges re: delays in funding + workload issues
More via : gao.gov/products/gao-2
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'Those working in community organizing stressed the critical need for public health + government partners to build trust and demonstrate their commitment to residents, a foundation for effective collaboration.'
Health equity requires teamwork.
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300,000 people in Oregon are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage in the unwinding.
The state and its managed care plans have their work cut out for them: 1.5 million people receive coverage through Medicaid there.
Culturally tailored outreach is vital. oregonlive.com/health/2023/01
There's a lot of movement around Medicaid in 2023.
Ever insightful, compiled a list of must-watch developments in the year ahead.
No surprise that the Medicaid unwinding tops the list.
States + health plans must support continuity of coverage: kff.org/medicaid/issue
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Is 2023 the year health equity talk turns into action?
of thinks so.
I trust Kevin's insights. And if work around quality measures and expanding texting are any indication, there's plenty of reasons to believe.
Read on: linkedin.com/posts/abnermas
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The hard truth of the Medicaid unwinding is that millions of people will no longer be eligible.
But we can still help them secure coverage elsewhere.
Culture is key to this work.
Learn how here: static1.squarespace.com/static/6168965
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For decades, an antiquated test overestimated kidney function in Black patients, masking the severity of disease & resulting in late diagnosis & delayed transplant referrals. Now, a waiting time adjustment for Black transplant candidates has been approved.
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- In Colorado, 23% of Latinos are experiencing long-term COVID symptoms
- 28% of Latinos in The Bronx reported lingering symptoms
- 36% of Latinos have depleted their savings due to healthcare costs
- 33% report losing wages due to missing work in relation to long COVID
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As new COVID-19 variants continue to arise, an unresolved threat has emerged – Long COVID.
Analyze the lingering symptoms of Long COVID-19 and how it impacts Latinos today! 
Read more 
salud.to/longcovid
Read more salud.to/longcovid
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🚨BREAKING: Thanks to the partnership of & Team , CA becomes first state to offer Medicaid services to youth & adults in prisons, jails, & youth correctional facilities 90 days prior to release, which are now only available after release. #EquityinAction
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What do patients want in #physicians? Depends on who you ask & their race
+ look at #doctors & #healthconsumers IDs big differences w 1 factor on which patients agree: compassion & empathy
bit.ly/3wCOjoN
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If you know @bryanobuckley, you know he's playing a pivotal role in advancing health equity through his work at @NCQA.
I was fortunate to recently sit down with him to discuss quality measures and more.
Check out our conversation via @SameSkyHealth: sameskyhealth.com/under-the-same
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Medicaid redetermination is bound to be a trying process for members.
That's one reason why nearly 7 million people are at risk of losing coverage: administrative barriers.
States and health plans can help.
Here's how: static1.squarespace.com/static/6168965
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"It’s good to start funds with a diverse lens, but someone has to have a specific focus on the Black community just as these white men have done for themselves because otherwise there’s always going to be more of the same."
Thank you, . essence.com/news/money-car
The administrative challenges inherent to the Medicaid unwinding are bureaucratic and complex.
But they carry human consequences for the 6.8 million people who are at risk of losing coverage despite remaining eligible.
Thanks, : npr.org/sections/healt
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If you know , you know he's playing a pivotal role in advancing health equity through his work at .
I was fortunate to recently sit down with him to discuss quality measures and more.
Check out our conversation via : sameskyhealth.com/under-the-same
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