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A Health Policy Blog
What Does Trump’s Executive Order Mean for Children at the Border?
When news broke this week that President Trump was going to stop separating families at the border, we felt cautious optimism. As we waited for the details, I wondered what the Administration’s new policy would say about addressing family immigration and how it would ensure families already separated would be reunited. I hoped the President’s […]
Detention or Separation: Administration Sets False Choice for Families
The legal parameters around immigration and detention have been hotly debated in the past few weeks. I turned to the experts in immigration law for the answer, and here’s what I learned. The Administration has falsely asserted that the law requires them to separate children from their families, but there is no such requirement. As […]
Medicaid Expansion Brings Improvements in Coverage and Utilization to Rural CHC Patients
We previously blogged on research showing that the Medicaid expansion helps keep rural hospitals open and that the Medicaid expansion disproportionately benefited rural communities. We came to a similar conclusion in our own research when we analyzed Medicaid coverage in small towns and rural America. We found that the rate of uninsured adults in expansion […]
New Conservative ACA Repeal Plan Would Likely Make Millions Uninsured
On June 19, a coalition of conservative think tanks unveiled a very brief outline of their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Like similar 2017 repeal proposals from Senators Cassidy and Graham, the Health Care Choices Proposal would convert funding for the Medicaid expansion and marketplace subsidies into block grants for states. The […]
MACPAC Report Recommends Sound Improvements to Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
On June 15, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) issued its June 2018 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP. The MACPAC report included recommendations for two sound, albeit modest, improvements to the highly effective Medicaid drug rebate program which could lower state and federal Medicaid prescription drug costs: Prevent manufacturers of […]
Plan on Opioid Crisis is Missing a Proven Strategy that Could Double Number of Those Getting Treatment
A June 11 press release headlined: “CMS leverages Medicaid Program to combat the Opioid crisis,” touts the Trump Administration’s commitment to addressing the growing problem of opioid addiction. In the press release, Secretary Azar is quoted as saying: “Today’s announcement reflects the Trump Administration and HHS’s commitment to helping states use Medicaid to support treatment for […]
