This month, learn about the President’s budget proposal, Medicaid block grants, and other policy issues relevant to the HCH community.
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The President’s Proposed Budget: The Trump administration released a proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 with wide-ranging cuts to Medicaid, housing assistance, food programs, and other vital services. Congress holds the authority to write and pass a budget, so the president’s proposal is a statement of priorities and intentions for the coming year. Read our statement to learn how this budget would worsen our nation's crisis of homelessness and find more details in our budget analysis and funding chart.
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Medicaid:
- Block Grant Guidance: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance to states encouraging them to restructure their Medicaid programs into block grants. Medicaid covers over half of all patients at Health Care for the Homeless programs. Block grants would harm programs and patients alike by reducing services and restricting eligibility. Read the Council’s statement opposing this policy and stay tuned for future Mobilizers for ways to take action against harmful Medicaid changes.
- Huzzah! Court Victory on Work Requirements: A federal appeals court rejected Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas, emphasizing that it is outside the power of the Administration to make such changes. The Council is opposed to work requirements because they create barriers to care. This decision is likely to discourage states from moving forward with their own work requirements. The Trump administration has not announced if they are going to appeal this to the Supreme Court, but this is the likely next step. To date, 20 states have applied for Medicaid work requirements and seven states have been approved, but only three are actively implementing the policy (Indiana, Utah, and Michigan).
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Federal Rulemaking: The Trump administration can change public policy through the federal rulemaking process, which requires a public comment period. Submitting comments is an important advocacy action for individuals and organizations. All comments must be reviewed by the Administration before a rule is finalized.
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Act Now – Fair Housing:
HUD’s latest proposal (comments due Monday, March 16) would reverse civil rights protections and make it more difficult to enforce standards that reduce housing desegregation. It also would reduce protections such as rent control and labor standards in public housing. Learn more and find templates for commenting at FightForHousingJustice.Org.
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- Act Soon – Poverty Measures: OMB’s latest proposal (comments due April 14) seeks feedback from stakeholders on the poverty line calculation, which is used to determine eligibility for many federal programs. This follows a proposed rule in May 2019 that would adjust the poverty line calculation and lead to millions losing eligibility (read our comments). Contact us for the latest resources and templates and look for more information in next month’s Mobilizer.
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- Recent Action – Social Security Disability Cuts: Last month the Council commented on a proposed rule that would require more frequent reviews of SSI/SSDI disability benefits which would create more administrative work and cut people from benefits. The Council joined 125,000 others in submitting comments! Stay tuned to learn how the Administration will proceed on this issue after reviewing all the comments.
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| New Resources and Research
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Credible data complements personal stories and makes advocacy more effective.
- New from the Council! Last month we released a fact sheet on health insurance coverage for HCH programs with state-by-state comparisons. Since 2013, HCH programs in expansion states cut their uninsured rate nearly in half—to 23%—while HCH programs in non-expansion states still have 66% of their patients uninsured.
- A new economic analysis in the journal Lancet shows a single-payer system would cost less money and save 68,000 lives a year.
- A Health Affairs Research Article, co-authored by leadership at Boston Health Care for the Homeless, explores health care spending for unstably housed people in the era of accountable care organizations.
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Special: What We’re Watching!
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Did you receive Mobilizer as a forwarded email or hear about it via social media? Register now to receive our action alerts each month!
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• Email or tweet your member of Congress to pass stable long-term funding for health centers, which expires on May 22. While progress was made in the last year, it’s important that we continue to press our legislators to get a five-year extension passed before the May 22 funding cliff. Learn more from the Health Center Advocacy Network.
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• Comment on HUD’s proposed rule that would strip away fair housing protections (learn more under Federal Rulemaking).
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• Sign a letter from our partners at the National Low Income Housing Coalition urging the Trump administration to use an evidence-based approach to ending homelessness.
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Sister Mary at the SOTU with Congressman Evans and Senator Toomey
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Local Advocacy Spotlight:
Philadelphia (Project HOME): Sister Mary Scullion, Executive Director of Project HOME, attended the President’s State of the Union address to Congress, bringing local and national attention to the crisis of homelessness. Read about it in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Chicago (The Night Ministry): A video published in JAMA’s Network features The Night Ministry’s street medicine team, highlighting the need for our health care system to meet people where they are. Look for Keith Belton, National Consumer Advisory Board member. See the video in JAMA.
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Poverty Policy Podcast
The latest podcast features conversations with three members of the HCH community who ran for public office. This episode explores what it takes to run and the role of public officials in ending poverty. Interviewees include Bakari Burns, MPH, MBA (City Council Member, Orlando, FL), Nilesh Kalyanaraman, MD (County Health Officer, Baltimore, MD), and Elizabeth Talbott, MBA (City Council Member, Waterford, CA). Listen to this 35-minute episode now on iTunes and Stitcher.
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This publication and all HCH advocacy are funded by dues from Organizational Members of the Council and by private donations. Consider joining the Council to support this work.
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