Summer & Fall Public Health Activities in AZ
Interested in finding out about the various public health conferences, meetings and events this Summer and Fall?
Bookmark our AzPHA Upcoming Events webpage. It’s as simple as that. If I’ve missed something- let me know at willhumble@azpha.org!
Proposed Title X Funding Changes Likely to be a PH Burden
The US Department of Health and Human Services has proposed changes to the rules for the federal family planning services program, known as Title X. If the new rules are adopted as proposed, it’ll require Title X family planning services to be physically and financially separate from abortion services.
Many family planning clinics offer both family planning and abortion referral services, and if the changes are ultimately implemented many of the programs would likely decide not to take Title X funding, which would have a big impact on the network of available services and they’d have fewer resources available for STD screening, treatment and outreach.
BTW: Title X funds have never been allowed to be used for abortions. The proposed rule is available for public comment until the end of July. You can read more about the proposed rule and comment by visiting the Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Just follow the instructions to submit. Your comments might not influence the outcome, but at least you’ll have done your part. That and voting this Fall.
Federal Government Won’t Defend the Affordable Care Act in Court
So far, the Affordable Care Act has survived the 2 court challenges that made it to the US Supreme Court. Back in 2012 the ACA was upheld by the Supreme Court for the first time (by a 5-4 margin) in the National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius case. It was upheld again in 2015 when (in a 6-3 decision) the Supreme Court upheld ACA’s federal tax credits for eligible Americans living in all 50 states (not just the 34 states with federal marketplaces).
But, there are additional challenges out there that haven’t made it to the Supreme Court yet. One that’s progressing through the courts is a challenge filed by 20 states (including Arizona) arguing that the ACA’s individual mandate is unconstitutional and key parts of the act — including the provisions protecting those with pre-existing conditions — are invalid.
This week Attorney General Jeff Sessions acknowledged that while “the Executive Branch has a longstanding tradition of defending the constitutionality of duly enacted statutes if reasonable arguments can be made in their defense,” the Attorney General will not defend the ACA from this challenge.
The implications could be profound. The ACA could potentially be completely overturned- or portions that require health plans to cover pre-existing conditions could be eliminated along with the mandate that persons have health insurance.
Medicaid Work/Community Engagement & Reporting Requirements
Any day now, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will be approving Arizona’s request to include work requirements and/or community engagement and reporting requirements as a condition of Medicaid enrollment. The request filed by AHCCCS is required by Senate Bill 1092 (from 2015) which requires them to ask CMS’ permission to implement new eligibility requirements for “able-bodied adults”.
AHCCCS initially proposed implementing the following requirements for able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid services including: 1) a requirement for all able-bodied adults to become employed or actively seeking employment or attend school or a job training program; 2) requiring able-bodied adults to verify monthly compliance with the work requirements and any changes in family income; 3) banning an eligible person from enrollment for one year if the eligible person knowingly failed to report a change in family income or made a false statement regarding compliance with the work requirements; and 4) limiting lifetime coverage for all able-bodied adults to five years except for certain circumstances.
Hundreds of comments were submitted (including comments from AzPHA) urging the agency to consider modifications to the initial waiver request. AHCCCS later issued a final waiver request which includes exemptions for:
- Those who are at least 55 years old;
- American Indians;
- Women up to the end of the month in which the 90th day of post-pregnancy occurs;
- Former Arizona foster youths up to age 26;
- People determined to have a serious mental illness (SMI);
- People receiving temporary or permanent long-term disability benefits from a private insurer or from the government;
- People determined to be medically frail;
- Full-time high school students older than 18 years old;
- Full-time college or graduate students;
- Victims of domestic violence;
- Individuals who are homeless;
- People recently been directly impacted by a catastrophic event such as a natural disaster or the death of a family member living in the same household;
- Parents, caretaker relatives, and foster parents; or
- Caregivers of a family member who is enrolled in the Arizona Long Term Care System
A subsequent letter from the AHCCCS Administrator suggested that they (AHCCCS) are suspending their request for a 5-year limitation on lifetime benefits (for some members) for now. Here’s our letter from back in February of 2017.
Kaiser Family Foundation Issue Brief on Work Medicaid Requirements
Last month the Kaiser Family Foundation published an Issue Brief regarding CMS’ recent decisions to grant states the ability to experiment with their Medicaid programs that condition Medicaid eligibility on work or community engagement. The Issue Brief examines evidence of the effects of the Medicaid expansion and some changes being implemented through waivers.
Many of the findings on the effects of expansion are drawn from the 202 studies included in our comprehensive literature review that includes additional citations on coverage, access, and economic effects of the Medicaid expansion.
Regarding work requirements, the Brief concludes that “state-specific studies in Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and most recently Montana and Louisiana have documented or predicted significant job growth resulting from expansion. No studies have found negative effects of expansion on employment or employee behavior. In an analysis of Medicaid expansion in Ohio, most expansion enrollees who were unemployed but looking for work reported that Medicaid enrollment made it easier to seek employment, and over half of expansion enrollees who were employed reported that Medicaid enrollment made it easier to continue working. Another study found an association between Medicaid expansion and increased volunteer work in expansion states.
Furthermore, “work requirements have implications for all populations covered under these demonstrations. Those who are already working will need to successfully document and verify their compliance and those who qualify for an exemption also must successfully document and verify their exempt status, as often as monthly. States would incur costs to pay for the staff and systems to track work verification and exemptions.”
If you’re interested in the public health policy implications of our upcoming work/community engagement and reporting requirements, the KFF Issue Brief is a must-read.
Court Challenge to Kentucky’s Work Requirements being Heard this Week
Oral arguments are being heard this week in DC challenging Kentucky’s requirements that members work or participate in “community engagement” activities such as job training, school or volunteering. The case was filed in January by the National Health Law Program, the Kentucky Equal Justice Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center. The outcome could have implications for AZ’s upcoming requirements.
Read National Health Law Program’s guide on what to expect from oral argument.
American Medical Association Endorses Assault Weapon Ban
The American Medical Association – Nation’s largest physician group – endorsed a ban on assault weapons as part of a package of measures aimed at combating the epidemic of gun violence in the US. The member driven initiative was endorsed at their annual policy conference. They also endorsed a ban on bump stocks, which basically turn semi-automatic rifles into automatic weapons.
In a statement AMA Immediate Past President David O. Barbe, MD, MHA said: “People are dying of gun violence in our homes, churches, schools, on street corners and at public gatherings, and it’s important that lawmakers, policy leaders and advocates on all sides seek common ground to address this public health crisis, in emergency rooms across the country, the carnage of gun violence has become a too routine experience.”
