Trump Administration Issues Final Rules Protecting Conscience Rights in Health Insurance (HHS press release, 11/7/18)
“Today, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor released two final rules to provide conscience protections for Americans who have a religious or moral objection to health insurance that covers contraception methods. Under the Affordable Care Act, employer-provided health insurance plans are required to cover certain “preventative services” – which were defined through guidance by the Obama Administration as including all contraception methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration, including methods viewed by many as abortifacients, and sterilization procedures. …The first of today’s final rules provides an exemption from the contraceptive coverage mandate to entities that object to services covered by the mandate on the basis of sincerely held religious beliefs. The second final rule provides protections to nonprofit organizations and small businesses that have non-religious moral convictions opposing services covered by the mandate. The religious and moral exemptions provided by these rules also apply to institutions of education, issuers, and individuals. The Departments are not extending the moral exemption to publicly traded businesses, or either exemption to government entities.”
Proposed rule on immigrant “Public Charge” determinations
NEW resource: How Proposed Changes to Public Charge Would Impact Children in Immigrant Communities (blog of the Georgetown Center on Children and Families, 11/9/18)
Please see the Updates of September 26 Update (p. 3) and October 31 (p. 4) for more information.
WORTH REPEATING: Family Voices Immigration Toolkit
The Family Voices Immigration Toolkit includes everything families, physicians and other professionals need to know about providing medical information to immigration officials, which may be needed to argue for allowing a child with special health care needs or the child’s parent to stay in the U.S.
OTHER RESOURCES
National Standards for CYSHCN Measures Compendium, from the National Academy for State Health Policy (Nov. 2018)
This measures compendium highlights quality measures aligned with key elements for a system of care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) outlined in the National Standards of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. A new blog post explains that the compendium aligns with the National Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs.
Now available: The slides and recording of the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) webinar, State Strategies for Using Shared Plans of Care to Improve Care Coordination for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, which was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration. See the issue brief on this topic.
WORTH REPEATING: Powerful Partnerships: A Handbook for Families & Providers Working Together to Improve Care, from the National Initiative for Children’s Health Care Quality
Encourage confidence to act