Blog
Say Ahhh! Health Policy Blog
Featured
More On Blog …
Explore this content in more detail
Go to the search page to sort and filter these results by date, topic, subtopic, author, and type.
-
Protecting Maternal Heart Health and Lives: Key Takeaways from the New NASEM Report
As Say Ahhh! Health Policy Blog readers know, the US rates for maternal mortality and pregnancy-related mortality and severe morbidity are high, with Black and Indigenous women experiencing the highest rates. In 2024, the maternal mortality rate for Black mothers was 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, which was significantly higher than the rates for…
-
CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in California
For the second time in the 60-year history of the Medicaid program, a CMS deferral of federal matching funds has been announced by the Vice President of the United States at a White House press conference. The first time was on February 25, when Vice President J.D. Vance told the press that CMS was delaying…
-
When Grief Becomes a Crime in Texas: Black Maternal Mental Health and Care Gaps We Cannot Ignore
By Tanesha Mondestin and Kay Matthews A Mother’s Pain, A System’s Failure In February 2026, Tamisha Cheyniece Drake of Lufkin, Texas, lost her newborn daughter at birth. Two months later, she returned to the cemetery where her baby had been buried, dug up the grave, and removed her daughter’s remains. She was arrested and charged…
-
CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota: Is the Fiscal Assault Headed for the Off-Ramp?
The fiscal assault on Minnesota’s Medicaid program appears to be headed for the off-ramps. Led by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the CMS Administrator, with the full-throated support of Vice President J.D. Vance, CMS launched a two-pronged attack. The first, launched on January 6, was a threat to withhold $515 million in federal Medicaid matching funds per…
-
The New Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Are Here—Don’t Let the Nebraska “Soft Start” Fool You
On May 1, 2026, Nebraska became the first state to start the new work requirements under H.R. 1, the law passed last year making historic cuts to Medicaid. We have reported extensively on why work reporting requirements are a bad idea. Nebraska was not adequately prepared to launch work reporting requirements, nor has the Centers…