By early afternoon of January 3, 2017 Senate Republican began the process of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) introduced a Senate Budget Resolution (S.Con.Res.3) and debate began with a clock of 50 hours of Senate debate. The resolution will eventually provide a reconciliation process to fast track the repeal
In a letter addressed to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and other congressional leaders, medical groups representing approximately 400,000 doctors across the country warned against the repeal of the ACA. The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of
A number of cabinet-designees will face committee hearings this week in a prelude to committee and Senate approvals baring any controversies. Congressman Tom Price has been scheduled for a hearing before the HELP Committee on January 18 but his position requires hearings before both HELP and Finance Committees. Only Finance votes to approve the HHS
The new 115th Congress officially starts on January 3. Behind the scenes discussion have been on-going on using a 2017 budget resolution (left over from last year) to very quickly provide the first budget reconciliation. The process will start this week with the Senate expected to pass a budget resolution this week and the House
Although the new Congress can repeal all regulations issued since early June 2016, the Administration continued to issue key guidance on human service programs through HHS. On Wednesday, December 14, HHS published final regulations for the updated Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) regulations and requirements. AFCARS data reported by states annually
The new 115th Congress will come together for the first time on January 3 and is expected to get to work on a 2017 budget resolution very quickly to provide the first budget reconciliation. The new Congress will be working around the Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King holiday followed later that week by the
On Wednesday, December 14, HHS published final regulations for the updated Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) regulations and requirements. AFCARS data reported by states annually helps to build a profile of the “child welfare” population by producing annual numbers on children in out-of-home (foster) care, adoptions and youth aging out to
Last week HHS issued a CMS Information Bulletin, on how states can extend Medicaid coverage to young people up to age 26 if they aged out of foster care and then later move to another state. Under the ACA young people who exited foster care have mandatory coverage under Medicaid to the age of 26.
On Monday, December 12 the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth held their last round table discussion for 2016. This week’s discussion focused on foster care and “normalcy” or attempts to make foster care placements as family like as possible for children in care. The overview was provided by Jenny Pokempner from the Juvenile Law Center
The fate of the Families First Act wasn’t decided until the very last days of session. While advocates made a final push to get the legislation included in the CR, that did not happen when that bill was published late on Tuesday night. Despite that, discussions continued until the very end. On Wednesday, Senate Finance