As reported in the September 19 Update, the Senate last week passed the House-Senate agreement to provide FY 2019 appropriations for the Department of Defense and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The bill (H.R. 6157) was approved by...

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) created factsheets underscoring the importance of Medicaid in providing coverage for children in all 51 states (including the District of Columbia).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now reviewing a waiver proposal from Alabama to establish work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries. Previous work-requirement waiver applications have been submitted by or approved for states that had...

Use TRICARE Online Tools to Help You Choose a Health Plan (TRICARE Benefit Update, 9/2/18)

Opioid grants HHS Awards Over $1 Billion to Combat the Opioid Crisis (HHS press release, 9/19/18) The awards support HHS's Five-Point Opioid Strategy, which was launched last year and enhanced this week. Funds will be going to programs in the Substance Abuse and...

Your Input Sought Seeking Parent Input on What Doctors Should Know in Caring for Children The Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics is revising its General Pediatric Clerkship Curriculum. The foundation includes “The skills, attitudes, and knowledge that...

NEW National Preparedness Month: Children in Public Health Emergencies Wednesday, September 19, 1:00 pm ET Emergency Partners Information Connection (EPIC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sickle Cell Transitional Care from Childhood to Adulthood: The Role...

New Suit Challenges “Short-Term, Limited-Duration” Plans On September 14, several patient organizations filed suit in the D.C. Federal District Court to challenge the validity of the CMS regulation allowing the sale of “short-term, limited-duration” insurance...

New Associate Head for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau The administration has announced that Michael D. Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP, will become the Associate Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Maternal and Child...

There is a lot of action on the Senate side of the Capitol at the moment... Senate Opioid Legislation On September 17, the Senate passed, by a vote of 99-1, legislation to address the opioid epidemic. (Senator Mike Lee, R-UT, was the “NO” vote.) The legislation was a...