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Dear Health Advocates,
The House and Senate are back from their brief one-week recess with a litany of problems to solve. Republicans' immigration bill is stuck as some senators express concern about President Trump's recently announced $1.8 billion 'Anti-Weaponization Fund.' Republicans are also feeling pressure to pass an Iran war powers resolution and are navigating the ousting of three incumbents in recent primaries.
New Interim Final Rule
The Interim Final Rule (IFR) released by CMS on Monday gives states guidance to implement new work reporting requirements by January 2027. You can read our statement from Families USA Executive Director Anthony Wright here [[link removed]] . The statement reads, in part:
"Far from protecting the vulnerable, this guidance significantly raises the barrier for demonstrating medical frailty, meaning many patients in the middle of treatment will have the new hassle of proving their condition, over and over, with any mistake or gap being penalized by the loss of their health care and coverage. Through this rule, CMS is requiring duplicative documentation and prohibiting states from taking full advantage of consumer-friendly tools like self-attestation."
To help you make sense of this rule and give you tools and resources to highlight the harm to beneficiaries, Families USA, along with our partners Community Change, NHeLP, and Community Catalyst, will host an advocacy call next Wednesday, June 10 at 1 PM ET. You can register for that call here [[link removed]] .
Additionally, on Tuesday, June 9, join State Health and Value Strategies for a webinar at 1:00 PM ET to learn more about the newly released IFR from CMS on Medicaid work reporting requirements. During the webinar, experts from Manatt Health will provide an overview of the IFR and discuss implications for state policymakers. The webinar will also include a question and answer session during which attendees can pose their questions to the experts on the line. Register here [[link removed]] .
Stop the Bleed Campaign
Health care costs continue to spiral out of control. Families are forced to make impossible choices between basic needs and getting the care they need each and every day. Today, too many people are delaying or even forgoing medical care, jeopardizing their financial future – and their lives. For too long, Congress has failed to address the root cause of skyrocketing health care costs: runaway corporate greed. Join our campaign NOW if you haven't already to hold members of Congress accountable and get them on record by asking one simple question: "What will you do to hold health care corporations accountable for high costs?" Register for our next national call here [[link removed]] !
Marketplace Update
Last week, Families USA released a new resource, Ignoring Advocate Warnings, Trump Administration Finalizes Harmful ACA Marketplace Changes , [[link removed]] on a new final rule issued by CMS in mid-May that will take effect on July 20 of this year. Among other things, this rule promotes plans with higher deductibles and cost-sharing and creates new administrative barriers to enrollment and coverage.
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* ONGOING: Sign On Opportunity * Coalition and network partners from the Child Care for Every Family Network, Children Thrive Action Network, Partnership for Basic Needs, and Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition invite local, state, and national groups to sign onto a letter [[link removed]] to Congress in opposition to attacks on basic needs programs in the name of so-called fraud. In recent months, lies about the integrity of childcare funding, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs have been used to justify disruptions and cuts in Congressionally appropriated funding, fuel attacks against service providers, weaken public benefits programs, and justify sweeping, violent and costly immigration enforcement. The letter will remain open for rolling signatures.


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* NEW! Press Release: Millions at Risk of Losing Health Coverage as CMS Releases Medicaid Work Reporting Requirement Rule that Creates Confusion and Chaos for States [[link removed]] , Families USA .
* NEW! Press Release: While Increasing Transparency, New Surprise Billing Regulation Won’t Stop Provider Abuses and Inflated Prices [[link removed]] , Families USA.
* NEW! Blog: Sharp Drop in Number of Children Receiving SNAP Food Assistance Under New Federal Law [[link removed]] , CBPP.
* NEW! Report: Republican Megabill Implementation and Trump Administration Actions Will Deepen Harms for Black Households and Small Businesses [[link removed]] , CBPP.
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* THIS WEEK! Webinar: First Friday [[link removed]] , P-5 Policy Network. * Please join the Pre-natal to Five (P-5) Policy Network's webinar this Friday, June 5 at 11:30 AM ET. This month's webinar will include an HR1 Roundtable to share policy insights, stories and strategies on the upcoming changes to federal programs and their impact on young children, their families and caregivers, expectant parents, and the workforce supporting these populations. Register here [[link removed]] .


* UPCOMING! Webinar: Big Systems, Bigger Profits: The Price of Hospital Power [[link removed]] , Families USA. * Join Families USA for a webinar on Tuesday, June 23 at 2:00 PM ET to learn about the results of its latest report, Big Systems, Bigger Profits: The Price of Hospital Power, which analyzes financial data and commercial insurance prices from across the country and debunks hospital system claims that they are untouchable when it comes to reforms that lower health care costs for consumers. Register here [[link removed]] .


* Advocates Meeting: Wednesday Advocates Meeting Zoom call [[link removed]] , Coalition on Human Needs hosting every Wednesday at 9:30 AM ET.
* Shared Advocacy Calendar: Coalition on Human Needs [[link removed]] . Check out weeks of action and upcoming events
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National Resources
* Insights Blog: Erased Twice: Federal Disinvestment Is Deepening AAPI Maternal and Reproductive Health Disparities [[link removed]] [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Insights Blog: Advocates Were Right to Sound the Alarm: Congress Cut Over $1 Trillion from Health Care — And States Are Already Paying the Price [[link removed]] [[link removed]] [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Report: Higher Marketplace Premiums Take a Toll on Enrollment and on Marketplace Enrollees [[link removed]] , CBPP.


* Fact Sheet: Dissecting the Deepest Cuts: New Restrictions Limiting Access to Medicaid Retroactive Coverage [[link removed]] , Families USA.
* Fact Sheet: Dissecting the Deepest Cuts: CMS Final Rule: Narrowing “Uniformity Waivers” for Medicaid Provider Taxes [[link removed]] , Families USA.
* Comment: Families USA and 40 Organizations Urge CMS to Continue Key Oral Health Coverage in Medicare [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Insights Blog: Families USA Recognizes Maternal Mental Health Week and the Stories of Moms Who’ve Been There [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Blog: Post-Megabill Drop in SNAP Participation is Steepest in Decades [[link removed]] , CBPP.
* Blog: New Data Show Marketplace Consumers Facing Higher Costs, Selecting Lower-Quality Coverage [[link removed]] , CBPP.


* Press Release: Trump Administration Gives Big Increase to Big Insurers in Medicare Advantage While Families Pay More [[link removed]] [[link removed]] [[link removed]] [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Fact Sheet: ICE and CBP Are Swimming In Money. We Say: No More [[link removed]] , National Immigration Law Center, joined by a number of national partners.


* Press Release: Acknowledging AHIP Report on Prior Authorization, Health Consumer Groups Call for Additional Progress and Policy to Prevent Unnecessary Delays and Denials to Care [[link removed]] , Families USA.
* Press Release: New ACA Enrollment Data Shows Result of Presidential and Congressional Actions: 1.2M Fewer Americans Covered; Premium Increases; Many More in High-Deductible Plans [[link removed]] , Families USA.
* Insights Blog: Mind the Gap: Bridging the Oral Health Divide for More Affordable and Accessible Coverage [[link removed]] , Families USA.


State Resources
* Blog: Nebraska Launching Punitive Medicaid Work Requirements Early, Even as States Lack Information and Time [[link removed]] , CBPP.
* Comments: Families USA Submits Comments on Nebraska’s Proposed Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Report: Projected Reductions in Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Under OBBBA’s Work Requirements and Six-Month Redeterminations [[link removed]] , Urban Institute.


* Blog: Federal Government’s Attacks on Medicaid Are a Pretext to Weaken the Program and Punish Particular States [[link removed]] , Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
* Blog: State-Based Efforts Will Provide Limited Relief from Enhanced Tax Credit Expiration [[link removed]] , KFF.


* Insights Column: Medicaid State Directed Payment for Primary Care and Behavioral Health Providers: Opportunities that Remain and Challenges Ahead [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Toolkit: Work Reporting Requirements: State Considerations When Defining Medical Frailty [[link removed]] , State Health and Value Strategies .


Medicaid Defense
* Tracking Tool: Tracking Implementation of H.R. 1 Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements [[link removed]] , Georgetown Center for Children and Families.


* Fact Sheet: Dissecting the Deepest Cuts: New Restrictions Limiting Access to Medicaid Retroactive Coverage [[link removed]] , Families USA.
* Fact Sheet: Dissecting the Deepest Cuts: CMS Final Rule: Narrowing “Uniformity Waivers” for Medicaid Provider Taxes [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Policy Brief: Federal Cuts, State Choices, and the Future of Aging and Disability Care: Protecting Home and Community-Based Services for Older Adults, People with Disabilities, and Family Caregivers [[link removed]] , Caring Across Generations.
* FAQs: OBBBA Changes to Medicaid Cost-Sharing [[link removed]] , NHeLP.


* Publication: Medicaid Work Requirements: Mitigating Harm through Implementation [[link removed]] , NHeLP.


Families USA In the News
* The American Prospect: Corporate Hospitals Bilking Americans as GOP Destroys Health Care [[link removed]] Quotes from Families USA Executive Director Anthony Wright on new hospital pricing report.
* West Virginia Watch: [[link removed]] WV among states where hospitals charge commercial insurance plans the most, study says [[link removed]] State coverage of Families USA's newest hospital pricing report
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CONNECT [[email protected]?subject=Wanting%20to%20connect&body=] GIVE FEEDBACK [[link removed]]
Have a great week,
Nate Keller
Partnerships Mobilization Associate
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