As reported in earlier Updates, the president instituted a policy of separating immigrant children and parents when they enter the US at the southern border in order to deter people from trying to enter the country illegally. The children were put into the custody of...

Last week, the full House Appropriations Committee approved a bill to provide FY 2019 funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. In total, the draft bill includes $177.1 billion in discretionary funding, essentially the same as the...

On July 11, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy held a hearing – “Examining the Importance of Paid Family Leave for American Working Families.” Among the witnesses was Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who testified...

EPSDT Education for Providers and Advocates   Wednesday, July 18, 1:00-2:30 ET Georgetown Center on Children and Families and the American Academy of Pediatrics   NEW Health Action Webinar: The Impacts of Family Separation on Child and Family Health Wednesday, July...

More than 7,000 fail to meet Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas (The Hill, 07/16/18)  WORTH REPEATING: Medicaid Social Media Toolkit The American Association on Health & Disability has developed a social media toolkit for Medicaid. The toolkit provides sample...

CMS to Reduce Funding for ACA Navigators Last week the administration announced that it will significantly reduce funding for ACA Navigators for the next open enrollment period (Nov. 1-Dec. 15, 2018, for 2019 plans). (See the CMS press release.) The Funding...

NEWS: Government Shuts Down Websites on Treatment and Quality Guidelines On July 16, the administration took down two “microsites” from the website of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) – the National Guideline Clearinghouse (guideline.gov), a...

Your Input Sought Best Practices in Guardianship @SenateAging is taking comment on best practices in guardianship through July 20, 2018, to inform a report they are producing. Email comment@aging.senate.gov. Topics include data collection, avoiding exploitation by...

Greetings from Washington! Congress was out of session last week so it was a bit quieter than usual inside the beltway -- not counting the fireworks over the Washington Monument on the 4th of July. Things got louder on Monday night, though, when the president...

NEW Redesigning Health and Social Systems for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Using Community-Engaged Decision-Making Wednesday, July 11, 12:00-1:00 ET Systems for Action National Coordinating Center   NEW Messages and Audiences Wednesday, July 11, 2:00-3:00 ET CDC’s...