Washington DC Update News
Below are recent articles from the Washington DC Update newsletter, a weekly Family Voices newsletter that provides the latest on national policy affecting children/youth with special health care needs and their families, and also shares relevant resources and happenings in the field.
HHS Working Group on Drug Importation (Washington Update July 25, 2018)
On July 19, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Secretary Alex Azar requested FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to establish a working group to examine how to safely import prescription drugs from other countries in the event of a dramatic...
HRSA Challenge to Improve Care Coordination for CSHCN through Tech Innovations (Washington Update July 25, 2018)
In August, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will launch the Care Coordination for CSHCN Challenge – a competition intended to encourage the creation of tech innovations to help families and case managers with the care and coordination of...
MACPAC Report on Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (Washington Update July 25, 2018)
The congressionally-created Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), just completed an issue brief -- Access in Brief: Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs—which compares the characteristics of children and youth with special health care...
Your Input Sought/Of Possible Interest (Washington Update July 25, 2018)
YOUR INPUT SOUGHT NEW CMS Tribal LTSS Program Survey This survey is being conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help them develop a list of tribally operated long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs across Indian Country. The...
July is National Minority Mental Health Month
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Join a Twitter chat on July 18, 2-3:00 pm ET
Healthcare Decisions Issued by SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh (Washington Update, July 18, 2018)
Here are some analyses of healthcare decisions issued by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh: Kavanaugh Pick Could Affect Future of Obamacare, Medicaid Work Requirements (Modern Healthcare, 7/10/18) Examining Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh’s Health Care Opinions...
Reunification of Immigrant Families (Washington Update, July 18, 2018)
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...
House Appropriations Committee Approved FY 2019 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill (Washington Update, July 18, 2018)
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...
Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Paid Family Leave (Washington Update, July 18, 2018)
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...
Upcoming Webinars from the Field (Washington Update, July 18, 2018)
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...
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