Policy Corner: June 16, 2023
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
Senator Murray Introduces Legislation to Build Public Health Infrastructure
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced this week that she is reintroducing the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA) to establish $4.5 billion in dedicated, annual funding for a grant program to build up and maintain the nation’s public health system across the board. Senator Murray spoke about the legislation on the Senate floor, and held a press conference on the need for robust public health investments. The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) has released a new report detailing how chronic underfunding of our nation’s public health system jeopardizes our families’ health and leaves our country ill-equipped to address critical public health threats.
House Conservatives Offer Blueprint to Cut Spending
On Wednesday, the Republican Study Committee announced a fiscal blueprint to balance the federal budget in seven years by making tax cuts permanent and cutting domestic spending. The 175-member committee recommended gradually raising the retirement age from 67 to 69 in order to claim Social Security benefits. They also propose a “premium support” plan that would subsidize private insurance options to compete with traditional Medicare. Although House Republicans have yet to produce a fiscal 2024 budget resolution, conservative members are floating their priorities, which in some instances, are below the spending levels in the recently passed debt ceiling bill.
Administration Calls on States to Slow Down Medicaid Cuts
On Monday, the Biden Administration urged states to slow down their efforts to remove people from the Medicaid rolls, after removing more than a million Americans even though some were still eligible. During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal policy prohibited states from ending Medicaid coverage. One result of that is that states had less communications with beneficiaries who may have moved and changed address. With the ending of the public health emergency, states are now reviewing eligibility for individuals who receive Medicaid benefits. However, information may be sent to old addresses.
The Administration is giving states a year to go through the once-routine process of reviewing Medicaid eligibility, which some states seem to be moving much faster. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter to governors expressing concern and outlined strategies that states could use, including spreading out the renewals over the next 12 months, as well as pausing the cancellations to allow more time to reach people who have not responded to letters. Some of those who have lost coverage apparently did so due to procedural issues, such as address change or did not have information about the process. As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, Congress set March 31, 2023, as a firm end date for continuous Medicaid coverage. Soon after, states started conducting eligibility redeterminations.