A group of conservative House Republicans called the Republican Study Group (RSG) offered up the American Health Care Reform Act. The proposal includes tax credits and deductions that will allow people to buy their own health insurance and calls for turning Medicaid into a block grant. The proposals closely mirror proposals RSC released in 2015.
Last week Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI) reintroduced the Families First Act, HR 253. The legislation is identical to the legislation that passed the House of Representatives last summer. As a result, it does not include any of the changes that were agreed to after last year’s November election. It is
In organizing the House last Tuesday, the House of Representatives agreed to a rule that could threaten the existence of programs that have not been reauthorized (e.g. Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, CAPTA, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, JJDPA) and programs that receive mandatory funding (e.g. Promoting Safe and Stable Families, SSBG, CHIP,
The Commonwealth Fund has released a study that indicates that the repeal of the ACA without a replacement will result in a loss of 2.6 million jobs in 2019 and 2.9 million jobs by 2021. Besides the lost jobs, the study claims that states will experience a $2.6 trillion reduction in business output, states will
Some key committee assignments are being announced. On the all-important Senate Finance Committee that hold Senate jurisdiction over child welfare, welfare, health care, SSBG and taxes Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) will fill two vacancies created by retirements. In the House the key subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, the
The Coalition on Human Needs (CHN)—a CWLA partner—is circulating a sign-on letter for national, state and local organizations to make the human services community voices heard. The letter states that: “Expanding opportunities for low-income people and protecting them from cuts is essential; keeping millions of people in depressed conditions stalls economic growth and increases inequality.
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
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 December 13, the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute posted a commentary on how the repeal of the ACA could affect child welfare children and families. The piece, Top Five Threats to Child Welfare from ACA Repeal was authored by Olivia Golden, Executive Director, CLASP. Part of January will likely be dedicated to the repeal
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.