By early afternoon of January 3, 2017 Senate Republican began the process of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) introduced a Senate Budget Resolution (S.Con.Res.3) and debate began with a clock of 50 hours of Senate debate. The resolution will eventually provide a reconciliation process to fast track the repeal
In a letter addressed to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and other congressional leaders, medical groups representing approximately 400,000 doctors across the country warned against the repeal of the ACA. The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of
A group of conservative House Republicans called the Republican Study Group (RSG) offered up the American Health Care Reform Act. The proposal includes tax credits and deductions that will allow people to buy their own health insurance and calls for turning Medicaid into a block grant. The proposals closely mirror proposals RSC released in 2015.
In organizing the House last Tuesday, the House of Representatives agreed to a rule that could threaten the existence of programs that have not been reauthorized (e.g. Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, CAPTA, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, JJDPA) and programs that receive mandatory funding (e.g. Promoting Safe and Stable Families, SSBG, CHIP,
The Commonwealth Fund has released a study that indicates that the repeal of the ACA without a replacement will result in a loss of 2.6 million jobs in 2019 and 2.9 million jobs by 2021. Besides the lost jobs, the study claims that states will experience a $2.6 trillion reduction in business output, states will
Some key committee assignments are being announced. On the all-important Senate Finance Committee that hold Senate jurisdiction over child welfare, welfare, health care, SSBG and taxes Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) will fill two vacancies created by retirements. In the House the key subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, the
The Coalition on Human Needs (CHN)—a CWLA partner—is circulating a sign-on letter for national, state and local organizations to make the human services community voices heard. The letter states that: “Expanding opportunities for low-income people and protecting them from cuts is essential; keeping millions of people in depressed conditions stalls economic growth and increases inequality.
A number of cabinet-designees will face committee hearings this week in a prelude to committee and Senate approvals baring any controversies. Congressman Tom Price has been scheduled for a hearing before the HELP Committee on January 18 but his position requires hearings before both HELP and Finance Committees. Only Finance votes to approve the HHS
The new 115th Congress officially starts on January 3. Behind the scenes discussion have been on-going on using a 2017 budget resolution (left over from last year) to very quickly provide the first budget reconciliation. The process will start this week with the Senate expected to pass a budget resolution this week and the House
The new 115th Congress will come together for the first time on January 3 and is expected to get to work on a 2017 budget resolution very quickly to provide the first budget reconciliation. The new Congress will be working around the Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King holiday followed later that week by the
