JohnS

About John Sciamanna

John Sciamanna is CWLA's Vice President of Public Policy.

Physicians Confirm Difficulty in Finding Child Behavior Health Services

A newly published survey and research paper, Difficulty Obtaining Behavioral Health Services for Children: A National Survey of Multiphysician Practices, conducted before the pandemic indicates that 85 percent of group practices for children and youth have had difficulty in finding evidence-based psychotherapy; family-based treatment and medication advice from a child psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Final ACA Numbers In

On Thursday, January 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final numbers for the ACA sign-up for the coming year with a final record total of 14.5 million people have signing up.  Open enrollment for the federal marketplace ran from November 1, 2021, through January 15, 2022.  CMS indicated that

CMS Taking Application on $49 Million to Reduce Uninsured Rate Among Children

On Thursday January 27, 2022, CMS announced the availability of $49 million to fund organizations that can connect more eligible children, parents, and pregnant individuals to health care coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Awardees—including state/local governments, tribal organizations, federal health safety net organizations, non-profits, schools, and others—will receive up to $1.5

Why Families Need to File Tax Returns for the 2021 CTC

The CTC has been federal law since the mid-1990s, but last year’s expansion added several improvements that lifted approximately half of children out of poverty.  It did that by making the tax “refundable’ meaning families could benefit even if they did not have enough “earned-income.’  It also added an innovation to make it more immediate:

Children’s Bureau: National Call to Action on Racial Equity

Save the date for February 3, 2022, 2:00 PM EST, for a live event by the Children’s Bureau when they release an information memorandum (IM) “Equity in Action.” The IM covers: The impact of racism on poverty and the well-being of children and families. The need for comprehensive action to address structural racism within policies

President Opens Door to Revamped BBB

Marking the first year of his term in office, President Biden held a nearly two-hour press conference on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, that touched on everything including the possibility of a revamped Build Back Better reconciliation bill. Since last December when Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) pulled his support for the $1.7 trillion package, talks have

Appropriation Update

Discussions continued between key appropriations leaders, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX).  Not much has been revealed but Chairperson DeLauro offered some broad positive comments about progress.  Like the reconciliation, Democratic leaders including the White House would like a final deal by March 1.

Wyden-Crapo Invite Surgeon General to Discuss Youth Mental Health

Earlier this month, Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) announced this week’s hearing that will focus on shortfalls in mental health care for children and teenagers in America.  Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy will testify on a Surgeon General Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health. In issuing the advisory

CTC Kept 3.7 Million Children out of Poverty in December

On January 18th, Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy released its newest policy brief detailing the impact of the Child Tax Credit, announcing that the sixth payment kept 3.7 million children out of poverty in the final month of 2021. Researchers at Columbia University have tracked the impact of the CTC over time

Houses Focus on Voting Rights, Appropriations

The Senate continued to debate how to address voting rights including how to deal with the Senate filibuster while the House focused some attention on the appropriations for the current fiscal year, FY 2022. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) maneuvered to bring a version of voting rights to the floor for debate by using

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