Laws and Regulations

Health Policy and the First Amendment: Protecting public’s right to be heard in the state legislative process

Georgetown University Collaboration Defends Rights, Facilitates Civic Engagement Recently here at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of my colleagues at the Georgetown University Law School in the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. Professor Mary McCord and Senior Counsel Annie Owens are respected attorneys […]

Adam Searing

March 3, 2021

Biden Administration Signs Health Care Executive Orders, Puts Welcome Mat Back Out

Today January 28th is Health Care theme day for the Biden Administration, which is in the midst of releasing a carefully orchestrated set of Executive Orders (EO) on a range of issues. Two Executive Orders were signed by the President today, the first to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, and the second to […]

Joan Alker

January 28, 2021

Senate Voting Rules and Budget Reconciliation Explained (Part 1)

In the House of Representatives, legislation passes with a simple majority of 218 of 435 votes recorded on an electronic voting system. The Senate system is, by comparison, stuck in the dark ages. In the Senate, the clerk calls the names of each Senator and records the votes on a tally sheet. Like the House, […]

Kelly Whitener

January 25, 2021

Another Parting Gift for the Biden Administration – the “SUNSET” Rule

The great American singer Wilson Pickett probably was not thinking of the SUNSET rule when he wrote his soul anthem, “In the Midnight Hour.” But Secretary Azar waited ‘til the midnight hour, and there it is, in the January 19, 2021 Federal Register: “Securing Updated and Necessary Statutory Evaluations Timely,” a final rule issued by […]

Andy Schneider

January 19, 2021

Trump Administration Tries Its Best to Knock Legs Out from Under Medicaid on the Way Out the Door

So far 2021 has been a really wild and difficult ride for me and millions of others in the U.S. with COVID-19 ravaging the nation, an armed insurrection here in DC, and an ongoing economic crisis leaving so many families in need. My mind has been struggling to absorb all that is happening so quickly. […]

Joan Alker

January 15, 2021

The End-of-Year COVID Relief Package: Medicaid and CHIP Highlights

After more than the usual end-of-session drama, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) became law on December 27, 2020 (P.L. 116-260). The sprawling, 2,124-page opus includes not just badly needed COVID relief for millions of unemployed Americans but also funding for the entire federal government and protections against surprise medical bills for consumers with private […]

Andy Schneider

January 6, 2021