Blog
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New ACIP Charter Signals Possible Change in Priorities for Committee
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has renewed the charter for its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), retroactively effective to April 1, 2026. This two-year renewal is not unexpected, as HHS provided a notice of charter renewal in the Federal Register earlier this month, but several changes to the charter language provide…
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States Rely on Adequate Funds from Title V MCH Block Grant to Address Maternal and Child Health Needs
The Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant is a federal-state partnership focused on improving the health of women, children, and families. Originally enacted in 1935, Title V of the Social Security Act authorizes federal funding for programs and projects to improve the health of mothers and children across the country. Since 1981,…
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Rooted in Justice and Joy: What Black Maternal Health Demands of Us Right Now
This week marks the 10th annual Black Maternal Health Week led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). The theme, Rooted in Justice and Joy, honors a decade of movement-building by Black-led organizations while also naming the systemic forces –systemic oppression, reproductive injustices, and health inequities— that continue to threaten the lives of Black Mamas.…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 jointly with…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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CMS Releases Guidance on 6-Month Medicaid Renewals for Expansion Adults
Guidance on implementing six-month renewals for the Medicaid adult expansion group, as required by H.R. 1 was sent to state Medicaid directors earlier today (March 6, 2026). The delayed guidance (which was due by December 31, 2025) has kept states waiting for key details that are needed to set state policy, make system changes, and…
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The Rural Health Transformation Fund: Political Rhetoric Meets Bipartisan Concern as the Program Moves Forward
The Trump administration frequently highlights investments in rural health care. While the federal budget bill H.R. 1 (often referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”) passed last year did establish the Rural Health Transformation Fund (RHTF) to inject much-needed capital into rural communities, the same legislation includes deep cuts to the Medicaid program—including billions of dollars…
