This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma issued new guidelines encouraging states to require “able-bodied” Medicaid beneficiaries to work or volunteer to remain eligible for health coverage benefits. Indicating a departure from prior CMS policy regarding work as a condition of Medicaid eligibility or coverage, states can now require…
Read More »Negotiations continue among Congress and the White House as another federal government shutdown looms. Recall late last month, Congress passed a short-term government funding measure that extended current federal funding levels through next Friday, January 19. Bipartisan discussions over immigration, fixes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), national security, and defense spending, among other items,…
Read More »In October, President Donald Trump directed the acting director of the Department of Health and Human Services to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency. That emergency declaration is set to expire in approximately 10 days on January 23. The declaration has permitted public health agencies to redirect existing resources to address the crisis,…
Read More »On Thursday afternoon, as expected, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions released a one-page memo to all United States Attorneys rescinding the “Cole Memo” issued during the Obama Administration. The memo recognized that cannabis was still illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act, but allowed federal prosecutors to focus their resources elsewhere, so long as states…
Read More »The Senate Finance Committee announced this week that it will hold a confirmation hearing for Alex Azar, nominee for the Secretary of the Department Health and Human Services, on Tuesday, January 9. Recall, President Donald Trump announced his selection of Azar for HHS in November. Azar spent nearly a decade at pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly,…
Read More »This morning, President Donald Trump signed into law a sweeping $1.5 trillion tax reform measure. After entering into conference committee to finalize the measure last week, Congressional Republicans secured enough votes for the measure to gain passage in the House and Senate on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon, President Trump hosted Congressional Republicans at…
Read More »Late this week, Congress passed another short-term government funding measure, once again narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. Recall, Congress passed a two-week funding measure on December 7 that extended current federal government funding levels through today, December 22. Congressional Republicans were left scrambling to piece together a funding measure earlier this week after placing much…
Read More »Late Thursday, The U.S. House of Representatives passed an $81 billion disaster relief package to provide aid to communities impacted by hurricanes Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as wildfires in Northern and Southern California. The House measure was met with resistance in the Senate Thursday evening, where Senate Republican…
Read More »On Wednesday, Senate and House Republicans struck an agreement on a consolidated sweeping tax reform bill. Recall, Congressional Republicans entered into conference last week to reconcile the differences between the Senate and House tax reform measures that were recently passed by both houses. Full details of the agreed-upon measure were not available at the time…
Read More »This week, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-New Jersey) introduced a continuing resolution to extend government funding through January 19, 2018. Recall, last week Congress passed a two-week government funding measure that expires next Friday, December 22. In addition to extending overall government funding, H.J. Res. 124, which is currently in the House…
Read More »