Testimony Presented at U.S. Senate Budget Committee “Medicaid the Reality” Hearing

Andy Schneider, J.D., Research Professor of the Practice, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families, presented this testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Budget on August 4, 2026.

August 6, 2026

Blog

Early Childhood Educators Still Need Medicaid – Now More than Ever

Our brief on the critical role Medicaid plays for the early childhood education workforce has been re-published with new 2024 data, resources, and implications from the past year of federal actions, with the help of our partners, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC),…

July 31, 2026

By

Nancy Kaneb

and

Elisabeth Wright Burak

Medicaid

CCF Comments on Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Interim Final Rule

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families submitted the following comments to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regarding CMS’s Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing H.R. 1-mandated Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements (WRRs). Read the Comments.

July 30, 2026

Blog

CCF Submits Comments on Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Interim Final Rule

Today, CCF submitted public comments on CMS’s Interim Final Rule (IFR) implementing H.R. 1-mandated Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements (WRRs). As we’ve written about time and time again, WRR policies are harmful, create unnecessary barriers to coverage, and will result in coverage losses without actually supporting work. Nonetheless, H.R. 1 has required most states to impose…

July 30, 2026

By

Jade Little

and

Joan Alker

Blog

Change to Census Data Processing Methods Threatens Health Policy Research and Federal Data Systems

On June 4, 2026, the Commerce Department issued Department Administrative Order (DAO) 216-26, Disclosure Avoidance for Statistical Products, which bans a class of privacy techniques called “noise infusion” in all data products coming out of the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). This order, which was made effective immediately without opportunity for…

July 30, 2026

By

Aubrianna Osorio

Blog

Weaponizing Fraud Against Medicaid in California and Minnesota: Another Quarter, Another Round of Deferrals

At a July 21 press conference, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz announced that his agency was deferring payment of $1.1 billion in federal Medicaid matching funds to California and Minnesota “pending review of high-risk claims in crackdown on fraud.” The amount of the California deferral was $867.5 million; the Minnesota deferral, $199.0 million. CMS has previously taken…

July 29, 2026

By

Andy Schneider

Blog

Senator Kim Introduces Bill to Cover All Children and Young Adults

Last week, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced a bill called the “MediKids Act” (S. 5037), described as “guaranteed healthcare for every child in America.” Original cosponsors were Sens. Booker (NJ), Duckworth (IL), Lujan (NM) and Padilla (CA) – all Democrats and the bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee. As regular readers of the…

July 28, 2026

By

Joan Alker

Blog

CMS Issues New Rule Again Going Beyond H.R. 1 Requirements to Further Restrict State Use of Medicaid Provider Taxes

On July 21, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new proposed rule that would implement two of H.R. 1’s restrictions on states’ use of provider taxes to finance their share of Medicaid costs. H.R. 1 included three provider tax restrictions: (1) a prohibition on new provider taxes and increases in…

July 27, 2026

By

Edwin Park

Blog

Trump Administration Issues Final Public Charge Rule, Ignores Public Comments on Harm to Children

On July 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued final regulations lifting current rules used to determine whether an immigrant is likely to become a “public charge”. The final rule, which takes effect on September 18, eliminates a century of established policy, carefully calibrated to address policy issues and undefined terms in…

July 24, 2026

By

Joan Alker

Blog

New Report Shows Coverage Gains for New Mothers—But Progress has Stalled with New Threats on the Horizon

A new report from the Urban Institute indicates that health insurance coverage among new mothers in the first year postpartum has improved significantly over recent years, but that progress has begun to stall. Using data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), the researchers find that the uninsured rate among women ages 19 to…

July 23, 2026

By

Aubrianna Osorio

Blog

New Report Examines How States Can Protect Pregnant/Postpartum Enrollees from Losing Health Coverage Due to Work Reporting Requirements (And Why We Should Still Be Worried)

As awareness has grown about the new Medicaid work reporting requirements (WRRs) that have already been put in place in some states but are mandated to begin January 1 of next year, it has created layers of confusion about who will be required to report work hours. Our new report on pregnant women and WRRs…

July 22, 2026

By

Elisabeth Wright Burak

Presentations

Webinar: Medicaid Connections: Maternal and Infant Health and Justice

Download the Audio Transcript As the nation’s largest payer for maternity care, Medicaid is a cornerstone for advancing reproductive justice and dismantling systemic health inequities. H.R.1 legislation directly impacts maternal and infant health. True reproductive and justice requires policymakers to optimize Medicaid by funding holistic, culturally centered and linguistically concordant care, including midwifery, doula and…

July 21, 2026

Medicaid

CCF Comments on State Directed Payments NPRM

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families submitted the following comments to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regarding Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Medicaid Practitioner Payments. Read the Comments

July 21, 2026

Data

In-State Call Answer Rates for 988 Lifeline

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline went live in July 2022 to connect people experiencing mental health-related distress with trained counselors to provide help. Just as 911 is universally known for use during emergencies, like a heart attack or car accident, contacting 988 can be lifesaving for people experiencing a mental health crisis. The 988…

July 20, 2026

By

Hannah Green

and

Anne Dwyer

Research & Reports

Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements: How Can States Protect Pregnant and Postpartum Women from Losing Health Coverage?

Overview Starting in January 2027, H.R. 1 requires every state that adopted the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) Medicaid expansion to low-income adults (and select additional states) to implement work reporting requirements. These work reporting requirements (WRRs) predominantly affect those enrolled in the Medicaid expansion category—coverage for adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal…

July 17, 2026

By

Elisabeth Wright Burak

and

Kay Johnson

Research & Reports

New Federal Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Rule Threatens Coverage for Vulnerable Americans: An Explainer of the Interim Final Rule

On June 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), published the Interim Final Rule with Comment (CMS-2454-IFC, hereafter referred to as the IFR) “Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals” as required by the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Law (hereafter referred to as H.R. 1). States that have expanded Medicaid to adults…

July 16, 2026

By

,

,

,

and

Blog

CMS Approach to Work Reporting Requirement Won’t Work for People with Substance Use Disorders or Mental Health Conditions

By Deborah Steinberg, Senior Health Policy Attorney, Legal Action Center A few weeks ago, CCF explained how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new interim final rule with comment period (IFR) that went far beyond its authority to implement the new work reporting requirements. H.R. 1 – the budget reconciliation law…

July 9, 2026

By

Guest

Blog

Revalidation of ‘High-Risk’ Medicaid Providers: Early Lessons from Minnesota

On April 23, the CMS Administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, issued a letter to State Medicaid Directors “formally asking that your state develop and submit a comprehensive two-year provider revalidation (PR) strategy….” This SMD is not posted on Medicaid.gov with all the other SMDs, but you can view it on the Fox News website. The state…

July 8, 2026

By

Andy Schneider

Blog

Transforming Perinatal Care in Colorado: Q&A with Elephant Circle Founder Indra Lusero

We have been watching and tracking all of the progress in states to improve Medicaid for pregnant and postpartum people during a period of rapid, positive change, even during the most recent legislative sessions under a backdrop of federal cuts. Colorado was one of the early states to pursue comprehensive maternal health initiatives, so we…

July 6, 2026

By

Tanesha Mondestin

Blog

Post Office Rural Service and Proposed Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements on Collision Course

I recently wrote about problems with the federal government’s suggested definition of “volunteer” in the proposed rule implementing the new law (H.R. 1) passed by Congress that requires patients to meet work/volunteer reporting requirements to maintain Medicaid coverage. The changes in this law are estimated to increase the number of uninsured Americans by 10 million people…

July 6, 2026

By

Adam Searing

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