The State Budget Was the First Step Now Comes the Hard Part for AHCCCS & ADES
Last week I wrote a review of this year’s legislative session. One of the biggest public health wins in the final budget was that AHCCCS and DES received real resources to prepare for the huge new eligibility workload that is coming because of H.R. 1. Divided State Government Produces a Decent Public Health Budget That includes $10.2M for AHCCCS eligibility staffing, $10.8M for DES eligibility staffing, and $12.9M for AHCCCS Medicaid
Kennedy’s Title X Edict Takes Aim at Arizona’s Family Planning (& Poverty Prevention) Efforts
For more than 50 years, one of our most successful anti-poverty & public health programs has been the federal Title X Family Planning Program. Title X was signed into law in 1970 with support from both political parties. President Nixon said at the time that family planning services should be available to all people who want them but cannot afford them. The objective of Title X and has remained until
List of Ballot Propositions Taking Shape: Our Positions
2026 AZ Ballot Measures – A Public Health Perspective (ppt) Now that session is over, we turn our advocacy attention toward taking positions on the various ballot measures in order to educate voters about the public health policy implications of each. There will likely be 5 ballot measures we’ll be taking public positions on by writing arguments in the voter publicity pamphlet. It looks like there will be 11 or
Gritty Summary of the 2026 Legislative Session: Public Health Wins, Vetoes and Bills Still on the Governor’s Desk
View Our PowerPoint Summarizing the 2026 Legislative Session There were some meaningful public health wins this year. Several bills we supported made it through the Legislature and have already been signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs. A few other good bills are still sitting on her desk. The governor also vetoed several bad bills, and we’re urging her to veto five more that passed during the final weeks of the session.
The Healthcare Budget Reconciliation Bill: More State Level Eligibility Checks
The budget is not just a list of appropriations. It also includes budget reconciliation bills, or BRBs. These bills amend state law that are connected to the budget. The healthcare BRB has a long list of AHCCCS eligibility directives. Some are reasonable efforts to improve accuracy. Others will just create more administrative barriers for eligible members. Here’s the condensed version of AHCCCS’ new responsibilities in the Health BRB. AHCCCS must:
Divided State Government Produces a Decent Public Health Budget
Arizona finally has a state budget agreement. Gov. Hobbs & Republican leaders from the Arizona House and Senate negotiated a compromise budget of nearly $18.3 billion for the fiscal year that begins July 1. In the end it passed with a coalition of some Dems and some Republicans. Nobody got everything they wanted. From a public health perspective, the most important things to know are that AHCCCS and ADES got