Long-Standing State-Based Efforts to Combat Fraud Against Medicaid Continue to Improve

CMS Administrator Dr. Oz has been on a veritable press tour trumpeting the supposed rampant fraud in Medicaid and other government programs, which nationally he claims could add up to as much as $100 billion, presumably in a single year – though he hasn’t specified a timeframe. The White House recently established the Task Force…

April 10, 2026

By

Natalie Lawson

Blog

CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota: The District Court Rules

On April 6, U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud issued a decision in Minnesota v. Oz. The case was triggered by CMS’s deferral of $259 million in federal matching funds from the Minnesota Medicaid program on February 25. In response, the State filed suit on March 2 asking the court to block the CMS action…

April 10, 2026

By

Andy Schneider

Blog

The Supreme Court’s Birthright Citizenship Decision Could Dramatically Impact Newborns’ Access to Health Care

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in the case of Trump v. Barbara, offering the first insight into how the Court will decide the legality of President Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and immigrants who are in the country legally but temporarily (such as,…

April 10, 2026

By

Kelly Whitener

and

Joan Alker

Blog

Which Parents Will be Impacted by Medicaid Work Reporting Mandate?

A new work reporting requirement for adults in Medicaid is one of the most widely publicized provisions in the Trump budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1) passed last year and accounts for a great deal of the projected coverage loss and cuts to Medicaid. In fact, a new study from the Urban Institute estimates that between…

April 2, 2026

By

Joan Alker

and

Adriana Kohler

Blog

New Report Highlights State Data, Strategies to Protect Pregnant and Postpartum Women from Losing Medicaid Coverage Due to Red Tape

As states press forward to implement the newly required work reporting requirements (WRRs) for Medicaid expansion adults starting next year, researchers at Georgetown CCF remain concerned about coverage losses among those adults who do everything right but still fall through the cracks and become disenrolled. Leo Cuello, Joan Alker and others at CCF have detailed…

April 1, 2026

By

Elisabeth Wright Burak

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https://ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/video1495380175.mp4

April 1, 2026

By

Melody Emenyonu

Blog

States are Beginning to Grapple with Federal Medicaid Cuts Impact on Rural Health Care

Over the past week more national media outlets published articles on the effects of federal cuts to health care passed last year by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in H.R. 1, “The One Big Beautiful Bill.” The coverage shows how states are starting to grapple with the effects of the federal cuts…

March 31, 2026

By

Adam Searing

Blog

Court Order Presses Pause on New ACIP Committee and Changes to Childhood Vaccination Schedule

It has been a tumultuous year for federal vaccine policy – and children are starting to feel the effects. Amidst a major measles outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chose to roll back nearly half of all childhood vaccination recommendations in early January. As readers of Say Ahhh! Health Policy Blog might…

March 31, 2026

By

Kelly Whitener

and

Hannah Green

Blog

The White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud: What’s at Stake for Medicaid

On March 19, President Trump issued an Executive Order Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. The stated purpose of the Task Force, which is chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance, is to “coordinate and accelerate a comprehensive national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs, including programs administered jointely with…

March 27, 2026

By

Andy Schneider

Research & Reports

Is Your State Leaving Money on the Table? How CHIP Health Service Initiatives Can Help States Support Children’s Access to Care

At a time when states are facing growing fiscal pressures and increasing strain on health systems, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Health Services Initiatives (HSIs) represent an often overlooked source of federal funding offering flexible financing to support outreach and targeted health initiatives to improve children’s health. This source of federally-matched funding becomes increasingly…

March 25, 2026

By

Yuliya Yafimenka

,

Nancy Kaneb

and

Tricia Brooks

Blog

Medicaid and CHIP Cover More than 4 in 10 Students in Public Schools Nationwide

School-aged children across the nation are facing a mounting mental health crisis, exacerbated by policy changes affecting immigration and Medicaid. As we’ve written before, Medicaid and CHIP are vital supporters of student success, both during the school years and into adulthood. Understanding the landscape of Medicaid/CHIP coverage in local school districts is paramount to connecting…

March 25, 2026

By

Aubrianna Osorio

and

Hannah Green

Blog

CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota: An Unexpected Development

On March 19th, CMS notified Minnesota’s Medicaid Director that it has approved the state’s corrective action plan (CAP) for addressing fraud. The state submitted the CAP on January 30 in response to a CMS determination that the state was not in compliance with federal Medicaid law and that, as a result, CMS would withhold over $2…

March 24, 2026

By

Andy Schneider

Blog

Maternal and Infant Health in State Rural Health Transformation Proposals Set Promising Priorities in an Uncertain Landscape

All 50 states applied for CMS’ Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program, a $50 billion fund borne from a need to reassure members of Congress during the final debate over H.R. 1 that Medicaid cuts would not decimate their states’ rural health systems. As previous blogs have detailed, the RHT program presents a unique opportunity for…

March 20, 2026

By

Tanesha Mondestin

and

Nancy Kaneb

Blog

Community Health Workers are a Focus of Rural Health Transformation Applications

Awards for the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program were released on December 29, 2025, and state applications with proposals for the funds have been made public, covering a range of activities aiming to increase access to care, develop infrastructure, and enhance workforces. As we’ve written about previously, community health workers (CHWs) are a critical workforce…

March 18, 2026

By

Natalie Lawson

and

Adam Searing

Blog

How are H.R. 1 Cuts and Changes to Medicaid and SNAP Playing out in 2026 State Legislative Sessions So Far?

Following the enactment of the largest Medicaid cuts in history, we anticipated a flurry of Medicaid activity in state legislative sessions. State legislators were left to fill the budget holes made by H.R.1, figure out how to implement H.R.1-mandated policies like work reporting requirements, and (hopefully) mitigate some of the associated coverage losses. Ten state…

March 16, 2026

By

Jade Little

Continuous Medicaid-CHIP Eligibility for Children_CCF Webinar_3-5-2026

March 11, 2026

By

Melody Emenyonu

Blog

Prenatal Care: The Silent Maternal Health Emergency Hidden in New CDC Data

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a look at concerning new trends in prenatal care access. From 2021-2024, prenatal care initiated during the first trimester of pregnancy declined, while those receiving care later or no prenatal care increased, as shown below. The share of pregnant women who received…

March 10, 2026

By

Tanesha Mondestin

and

Aubrianna Osorio

Blog

CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota: The State Fights Back

On March 2, the state of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in federal district court. The case, State of Minnesota v. Oz, is in response to two actions taken by CMS against the state for what CMS says is the state’s failure to control fraud against its Medicaid…

March 6, 2026

By

Andy Schneider

HHS-Letter-Gov-Mills-Maine

March 6, 2026

By

Melody Emenyonu

HHS-Letter-012726-Gov-Newsom

March 6, 2026

By

Melody Emenyonu

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