Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Expanded Medicaid Access To Home Care Pushed In Proposed Bill
Modern Healthcare: Democrats Propose $400 Billion Medicaid Boost For Home Care
Congressional Democrats on Thursday unveiled a bill that would significantly expand access to services that help seniors and people with disabilities receive care in their homes and communities, following up on President Joe Biden's demands for such an investment in an infrastructure bill. The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and high-ranking House and Senate Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), would offer increased Medicaid funding for states offering home- and community-based services (HCBS) if they agree to certain conditions. Democrats are planning to include the proposal in a forthcoming budget bill that only needs 50 votes to pass the Senate. (Hellmann, 6/24)
Detroit Free Press: Dingell Wants Expanded Home Care For Medicaid Recipients
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, wants Congress to provide states more funding in the future to expand home and community-based care to Medicaid recipients and to make sure the people providing those services are better paid. On Thursday, she introduced legislation that, if enacted, would do that. An identical bill was also introduced in the U.S. Senate. (Spangler, 6/24)
In news about Medicaid in Puerto Rico —
Miami Herald: Puerto Rico Governor Goes To D.C. To Advocate For Solution To Island’s Medicaid Woes
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi is in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to advocate for the American territory to achieve parity in federal funding for Medicaid, a cornerstone goal of his administration that he is trying to push in a Democratic-controlled Congress. “Puerto Rico should have state-like treatment on the Island’s Medicaid program; anything less than that is discrimination against the most vulnerable citizens of our Island based on their geographic location,” the governor said. (Ortiz-Blanes and Roarty, 6/22)
The Hill: Puerto Rico Presses Congress To Prevent 'Medicaid Cliff'
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi (D) said Thursday that a looming “Medicaid cliff” and a slew of political and economic challenges all come back to the island’s status as a U.S. territory. The debate over status will remain at the core of the island's politics indefinitely, he said, unless Puerto Rico becomes a state or a sovereign nation. "Whenever I'm told about prioritizing, I say the status issue permeates everything else. It is an existential issue. You always have to deal with this issue until you resolve it," Pierluisi told The Hill in an interview. (Bernal, 6/25)
Also —
The Hill: House Passes Veterans Contraception, LGBTQ Business Bills Previously Blocked By GOP
The House passed two bills on Thursday to promote credit fairness for LGBT-owned businesses and ensure that veterans can access contraceptive health care without copays, after both measures failed to advance under an expedited process last week. House Democratic leaders had scheduled votes on the two bills last week under a fast-track process used for bipartisan legislation that requires a two-thirds supermajority for passage, since they were under the impression that Republicans would support them. (Marcos, 6/24)
AP: Georgia Sued For Ban On Gender-Affirming Care Under Medicaid
Two transgender women are suing the state of Georgia, saying they’ve been denied access to gender-affirming health care under its Medicaid program. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the federal lawsuit Thursday in Atlanta on behalf of Shon Thomas and Gwendolyn Cheney. The suit says Georgia bans gender-affirming surgeries in violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid Act. (6/24)
CBS News: Trans Kids Fight For Health Care Rights
Dylan Brandt, one of the roughly 2% of U.S. high schoolers who identify as trans, began his transition when he was 13-years-old. Chronicling bits of it on TikTok, he went from long blonde hair to appearing more masculine. With psychological counseling and under supervision from a pediatrician, he started taking cross-sex hormones by injecting testosterone. He explained that as early as fourth grade he'd had confusing feelings that stretched on until his teenage years. (Doane, 6/21)
