The Department of Health and Human Services updated their annual poverty guidelines this month. The annual guidelines set poverty at $12,490 for 1, $16,910 for 2, $21,330 for three and $25,750 for a family of four. There are separate calculations for Alaska (a family of four is $32,190) and Hawaii (a family of four is
A new study by HHS’ Assitant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Final Report, shows some positive results as far as treatment coverage likely due to recent changes in the nation’s health care laws including the Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health
FY 2019 is now complete with 25 percent of the budget agreed to by a combination of a Republican-run Senate and a Republican-run and Democratic-run House of Representatives spread over two congresses (See details below). The fractured process closes a book on the agreed to spending targets set for FY 2018 and FY 2019 and
On February 9, the head of New York City’s JJCA child welfare agency, penned an opinion piece in the Capitol Hill publication, The Hill, calling out an HHS decision to waive anti-discrimination regulations in child welfare placements. CEO Ronald E Richter denounced the recent decision by the Administration to issue the waiver arguing that there
On Wednesday, February 13, 95 Members of the House signed a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar criticizing the Departments decision to grant a waiver to South Carolina from nondiscrimination provisions of the federal child welfare programs. A few days later Americans United filed a lawsuit against HHS. The House of
Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report on the status of U.S. youth and tobacco use. The results were not good. The CDC found more than 1 in 4 high school students and nearly 1 in 14 middle school students had used tobacco products in the past 30 days.
On Thursday February 7, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held their first hearing in the 116th Congress on family separation policies in regard to immigration enforcement. According to testimony from the Inspector General’s Office at HHS, Ann Maxwell, “…the total number of children separated from a parent or guardian by U.S. immigration authorities and
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has re-introduced the Families Not Facilities Act, legislation that CWLA endorsed in the last Congress and now in this 116th Congress. • The bill prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from using U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) information provided by an unaccompanied child, or initially obtained to evaluate
Jay Williams On Wednesday, January 30, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) reintroduced the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (S.274), similar to legislation he sponsored along with Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA) last year. The legislation, which CWLA does not support, would require HHS to penalize state child welfare agencies who are found in violation of “provider inclusion”
Building on efforts such as the Enzi legislation, a report in the Washington Post last week says that the President’s coming FY 2020 budget will request language to expand its authority to allow discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs. The Post article states “In a 2020 draft budget request that has not been made