Medicaid
Much anticipated guidance from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the implementation of work requirements was released. CMS released a CMS Informational Bulletin providing states with more information on the expectations from CMS regarding implementation of Medicaid Work Requirements under HR 1. The guidance is meant to support states in creating their own systems. It is very important that state level advocates push for implementation that takes into account the unique needs of people with disabilities. Justice in Aging released their Mitigating the Harms of Medicaid Work Requirements for Older Adults: Tools for State Advocates to support those efforts.
Affordable Care Act / Health Care Premiums
On December 11th the Senate failed to advance both a Democratic and a Republican bill to extend or modify the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Without Congressional action the healthcare premiums for millions of Americans are set to skyrocket.
Unless Congress extends the open enrollment period, open enrollment will end today (December 15th.) Millions of people are expected to decide shortly before or on this date if they will enroll in the new ACA plans with the higher premiums, will choose worse health plans, or will go without coverage entirely. Even if Congress passes a bill to extend the premium subsidies, it is unclear how long it would take to show people their premiums have reduced, leaving more people facing premium price shock and therefore unlikely to enroll in health insurance plans. You can read more about the vote here.
Another Looming Government Funding Deadline
The short-term funding bill that ended the October-November Government shutdown only funds the federal government through January 30th. Bipartisan negotiations to either do another short-term spending bill or to fully fund agencies and departments will be ongoing through January and will require continued grass roots advocacy, including meeting with Senators and Representatives when they are home for recess.
Keeping All Students Safe Act
The Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA) was recently reintroduced in the House and Senate. The Keeping All Students Safe Act would make it illegal for any school receiving federal taxpayer money to seclude children and ban dangerous restraint practices that restrict children’s breathing, such as prone or supine restraint. The bill would also prohibit schools from physically restraining children, except when necessary to protect the safety of students and staff. The bill would provide grants to train school personnel to address school-expected behavior with evidence-based, proactive strategies, require states to monitor the law’s implementation, and increase transparency and oversight to prevent future abuse of students. You can read a press release on the reintroduction of the bill, the text of the bill, and a fact sheet on the bill, which TASH has endorsed.
Education Department Asks Some Employees to Return to Work
Facing a backlog of school discrimination cases, the U.S. Department of Education has asked 250 workers from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), who have been on administrative leave, to temporarily return to work. The Department said there aren’t plans to rehire those workers permanently and that it will continue to fight in court for its reduction in forces at the Education Department. Read more in the USA Today’s story.
For additional information and resources on public policy, visit TASH’s Advocacy Tools & Resources on our website.
Washington Update logo image credit: Romain Pontida, Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic, some modifications.