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. 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.

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.

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!

Marketplace Update

Last week, Families USA released a new resource, Ignoring Advocate Warnings, Trump Administration Finalizes Harmful ACA Marketplace Changes, 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.

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 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.

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, Families USA.
NEW! Press Release: While Increasing Transparency, New Surprise Billing Regulation Won’t Stop Provider Abuses and Inflated Prices, Families USA.
NEW! Blog: Sharp Drop in Number of Children Receiving SNAP Food Assistance Under New Federal Law, CBPP.
NEW! Report: Republican Megabill Implementation and Trump Administration Actions Will Deepen Harms for Black Households and Small Businesses, CBPP.

THIS WEEK! Webinar: First Friday, 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.
UPCOMING! Webinar: Big Systems, Bigger Profits: The Price of Hospital Power, 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.
Advocates Meeting: Wednesday Advocates Meeting Zoom call, Coalition on Human Needs hosting every Wednesday at 9:30 AM ET.
Shared Advocacy Calendar: Coalition on Human Needs. Check out weeks of action and upcoming events