Judge Considers Expanding Child Separation Case (Associated Press, 2/21/19)

Pallone, Wyden Call on Administration to Stop Allowing Harmful Medicaid Waivers On February 19, House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Democratic Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), sent a letter to Department of...

Medicaid Waivers Advocates and Healthcare Providers File Brief in Case Challenging the Kentucky Medicaid Waiver As reported in previous Updates, the administration has been supportive of waivers to establish “community-engagement” (work, education) requirements on...

Need to Submit Documents to Confirm a Life Event? (Healthcare.gov blog, 2/7/19)

FROM THE AGENCIES: Emergency Planning Toolkit for Aging and Disability Networks The new Capacity-Building Toolkit for Including Aging and Disability Networks in Emergency Planning (PDF, 114 pp), is intended to help aging and disability networks increase their ability...

YOUR INPUT SOUGHT NEW FEMA National Advisory Council – Due March 15, 2019 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting applications until March 15, 2019, for 12 open positions on its National Advisory Council. They are seeking one person to fill the...

SERIES: Pain Medication Education Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Part 2: Understanding Opioids and Opioid Addiction: Wednesday, February 20, 12:00-1:00 pm ET Part 3: What are my options for tapering opioids? Wednesday, March 13, 12:00-1:00 pm ET Past -- Part 1:...

Federal Court Agrees to Let Democrats Defend Obamacare in Court (The Hill, 2/14/19) As reported in earlier Washington Updates, a federal district court in Texas ruled, in Texas v. Azar, that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, as claimed by the...

ACE Kids Act Introduced in the House and Senate During the last Congress, the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act (ACE Kids Act) was passed by the House as part of a larger bill, but did not make it to the Senate. Since it is a new Congress, all legislation must...

MEDICAID WAIVERS Updated 1915(c) Waiver Application On January 28, 2019, CMS released a revised application and technical guide for Medicaid 1915(c) waivers, used to provide home-and community based services. According to this information provided by the National...