On Thursday, January 30, the Trump Administration followed up on last week’s reports with their Medicaid Healthy Adult Opportunity proposal. The announcement came through CMS Administrator Seem Verma with careful avoidance of using the term block grant. The Administration is attempting to use their waiver authority to allow a more limited Medicaid block grant. In
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) produced a report to Congress on the oversight of Institutions of Mental Diseases (IMDs). “MACPAC serves as a non-partisan legislative branch agency and independent source of information for Medicaid and CHIP and are responsible for reporting to Congress.” Federal definition for IMD are a “hospital, nursing
On Wednesday, January 29, the National Center for Homeless Education, which is funded by the Department of Education, released the federal education data showing the highest number ever of 1.5 million public school children and youth experienced homelessness during the 2017-2018 school year. This is an 11 percent increase from the previous school year and
Last week, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a key Obama Administration advisor on health care reform, described how several states, using the ACA, have achieved near-universal coverage. At the same time, the Trump Administration moved forward on a proposal that would turn the Medicaid program into a partial state block grant. Emanuel writing in Politico said that
On Tuesday, January 28, two subcommittees of the House Committee on Education and Labor, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and the Subcommittee on Pensions and Workforce Protections conducted a hearing entitled Expecting More: Addressing America’s Maternal and Infant Health Crisis. Testimony was given by three witnesses: Stacey Stewart, CEO of March of Dimes, Nikia
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Prevention found that in 2017 there were 1,400 deaths sue to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States. SIDS is the leading cause of postneonatal mortality, with an overall rate of 0.39/1000 births. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported study, Concurrent prenatal drinking and smoking increases
On Monday, January 21, the Supreme Court Justices voted 5-4 to allow the Trump Administration to start enforcing a rule that would make it harder for immigrants to obtain green cards and access government aid by ending the nationwide injunction. The Supreme Court’s decision is temporary as lawsuits in the lower courts stand over the
On Tuesday, January 28, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on the Legislative Proposals for Paid Family and Medical Leave. The hearing focused on the bipartisan Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act), which would establish small monthly payroll contributions to fund employee’s paid leave to care for themselves or
The Administration for Community Living is seeking input by Friday, February 7, 2020. The Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, passed in 2018, established an Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. That Council is seeking public input. They are particularly interested in opinions from former and current grandparent(s) or other older relative raising children, or