Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Advocates: Tapping Already Underfunded Public Health Programs Not A Solution To Immigration Policy Costs
The Washington Post: Trump Administration Diverts Nearly A Half-Billion Dollars To Migrant Children In Custody
Federal health officials are reshuffling nearly a half-billion dollars this year to cover the expense of sheltering a record number of migrant children in the department’s custody, according to government documents and officials. In a recent letter to several members of Congress, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the department is moving “up to $266 million” to house children from other countries who are on their own, diverting money originally intended for biomedical research, HIV/AIDS services and other health-care purposes. (Goldstein and Moore, 9/21)
The Hill: Health Advocates Decry Funding Transfer Over Migrant Children
Public health advocates are sounding the alarm over President Trump’s decision to divert nearly $200 million from health programs to fund the detention of unaccompanied migrant children who crossed into the country illegally. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday notified Congress that it intends to transfer up to $186 million from elsewhere in the agency to pay for housing a growing number of migrant children. (Weixel, 9/23)
And in other news from the border —
ProPublica: “Humanitarian Crisis” Looms As Arizona Threatens To Revoke Immigrant Children Shelter Licenses
Arizona health officials threatened on Wednesday to revoke the licenses of 13 federally funded immigrant children shelters, accusing the facilities’ operator, Southwest Key, of displaying an “astonishingly flippant attitude” toward complying with the state’s child protection laws. But a day after the state sent its blistering letter to Southwest Key CEO Juan Sanchez, it became clear that any shutdown would create a tumultuous chain of events for federal and state regulators, who lack options for housing tens of thousands of unaccompanied children who cross the border every year. (Sanders and Grabell, 9/21)
The Washington Post: Parents Face Tougher Rules To Get Immigrant Children Back
Armando Tabora desperately wants to get his teenage daughter out of the government detention facility where she has been for more than three months. He has been stymied at every turn. The Florida landscaping worker took the bold step of going to a government office to submit fingerprints and other documents required for immigrants to get their children out of government custody — and now that information is being shared with deportation agents. He was then told that the woman he rents a room from would also need to submit fingerprints, something she refused to do. He then sought out friends who are here legally to help him out, to no avail. (Salomon and Torrens, 9/22)
