[[link removed]]
[[link removed]]
#action [#action] #new [#new] #upcoming [#upcoming] #highlights [#highlights]
Dear Health Advocates,
Congress is back this week with a lot on their plate. The death of Senator Lindsey Graham and the health issues plaguing Senator Mitch McConnell have complicated an already difficult path for Senate Republicans to pass their annual defense spending bill and a separate boost in spending for efforts in the Iran War. On the House side, a few Republican members are blocking legislation from the House floor with demands around the SAVE America Act and immigration legislation. Vice President JD Vance is set to meet with these members today and attempt to lean on them to open the House floor for business.
Families USA Health Care Affordability Week of Action
* WHAT: Health Care Affordability Week of Action [[link removed]] and Symposium [[link removed]]
* WHEN: July 20-24
* WHY: Americans are facing an affordability crisis, with millions forced to make impossible choices between paying for health care and other basic needs. Families USA knows now is the time to advance an affordability agenda, which is why we are holding a Health Care Affordability Week of Action [[link removed]] . With Congress reconsidering new proposals to oversee hospital prices, Medicare Advantage plans, and more, this week of action will bring together national and state advocates to call on Congress to take action on health care affordability.
* SYMPOSIUM: Join Families USA on Monday, July 20, from 11 am – 2 pm ET for our Health Care Affordability Symposium [[link removed]] at our offices in Washington, DC. The symposium will feature experts from Capitol Hill, research institutions, and consumer and community advocates working to lower health care costs now for seniors and all Americans. Lunch is on us. Register for the symposium here [[link removed]] . Registration is first come, first served, and space is limited.
* TOOLKIT: Health Care Affordability Week of Action Digital Toolkit [[link removed]]
Stop the Bleed Monthly National Campaign Call Tomorrow
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 tomorrow, Wednesday, July 15 at 2:00 PM ET here [[link removed]] .
[[link removed]]
* EMAIL YOUR MEMBERS: Tell Congress: Uphold your promise and protect Medicaid! * In the wake of the newly released IFR on work reporting requirements, we are asking advocates and consumers alike to reach out to their members and demand they take immediate action to mitigate coverage losses and uphold their promises to protect disabled people, seniors, and all Americans who depend on Medicaid to meet their basic health care needs. Make sure they uphold this promise by emailing your members today [[link removed]?] !


* 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.


[[link removed]]
* NEW! Report: GAO-26-108297, HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACES: CMS Needs Stronger Controls to Prevent Unauthorized Actions by Agents and Brokers [[link removed]] * This report recommends concrete steps that CMS can take to prevent agents and brokers in the federal marketplace from switching marketplace consumers' plans or enrolling consumers into plans without their consent. Notably, the report highlights three state-based marketplaces that have stronger controls than the federal marketplace, and it recommends tactics to clamp down on broker/agent fraud without harming consumers. The states included in this report are CA, GA, and NM.


* NEW! Blog: The Big Ugly Impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill: How H.R. 1 is Hurting Children’s Health One Year In [[link removed]] , First Focus on Children.
* NEW! Comment Guide: Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Interim Final Rule Comment Guide [[link removed]] , Families USA.
* NEW! Dashboard: SNAP Tracker: People Are Losing Food Assistance as the Republican Megabill Is Implemented [[link removed]] , CBPP.
* NEW! Fact Sheet: Medicaid Work Requirements Do Not Apply to Foster Youth and Former Foster Youth Up to Age 26 [[link removed]] , NHeLP.
* NEW! Blog: CMS Approach to Work Reporting Requirement Won’t Work for People with Substance Use Disorders or Mental Health Conditions [[link removed]] , Georgetown CCF.
[[link removed]]
* UPCOMING! Health Care Affordability Week of Action and Symposium * WHAT : Health Care Affordability Week of Action and Symposium
* WHEN: July 20-24
* WHY: Americans are facing an affordability crisis, with millions forced to make impossible choices between paying for health care and other basic needs. Families USA knows now is the time to advance an affordability agenda, which is why we are holding a Health Care Affordability Week of Action [[link removed]?] . With Congress reconsidering new proposals to oversee hospital prices, Medicare Advantage plans, and more, this week of action will bring together national and state advocates to call on Congress to take action on health care affordability.
* SYMPOSIUM: Join Families USA other advocates on Monday, July 20, from 11 am – 2 pm ET for our Health Care Affordability Symposium [[link removed]] at our offices in Washington, DC. The symposium will feature experts from Capitol Hill, research institutions, and consumer and community advocates working to lower health care costs now for seniors and all Americans. Please stay tuned as we announce speakers for this event. Lunch is on us. Register for the symposium here [[link removed]] . Registration is first come, first served, and space is limited.
* TOOLKIT: Health Care Affordability Week of Action Digital Toolkit [[link removed]]


* UPCOMING: One Nation Overcharged Rally * The One Nation, Overcharged [[link removed]] campaign (part of the Cost and Coverage Collaborative [[link removed]] where Families USA is an anchor partner) is hosting a virtual rally [[link removed]] on Wednesday, July 29, 5 PM PT | 8 PM ET The rally will bring together people who believe health care should be a right, not a luxury we can’t afford. We’ll hear stories from across the country, plus special celebrity guests, national leaders, and others. Everyone is welcome, so bring your friends and neighbors! This is more than a call—it’s a movement. Register here. [[link removed]]
* And check out this media coverage of the One Nation, Overcharged * Chill the Charges” truck [[link removed]] tour kickoff last weekend in Raleigh featuring NC Justice Center - 'Popsicles for a Purpose' event highlights health care affordability crisis [[link removed]] (WRAL-TV)




* 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
[[link removed]]
National Resources
* Fact Sheet: So Many FOIAs, So Little Transparency: Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 FOIA by the Numbers [[link removed]] , Center for Reproductive Rights


* Resource: Trump’s Health Care Cuts Are Harming His Supporters and Gutting Rural Maternal Health Care [[link removed]] , National Partnership for Women and Families .


* Blog: Inside the Work Reporting Requirement Implementation Guidance: How CMS’s New Rule Decimates Health Care Access for Millions [[link removed]] , Families USA .


* Testimony: Written Testimony of Sophia Tripoli for House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Hearing [[link removed]] , Families USA.


* Report: Uninsured Rate for Young Children Rose More Sharply than for Older Children from 2022-2024 [[link removed]?] , Georgetown CCF .


* Report: What’s in Congress’s New ICE Funding Law? [[link removed]] NILC.


* Report: Listening to Mothers IV: New Mothers’ Views and Experiences of Childbearing [[link removed]] , Black Mamas Matter Alliance, National Partnership for Women and Families, MomsRising.


* Report: Administration’s Last-Minute Restrictions Likely to Worsen Impact of Medicaid Work Requirement [[link removed]] , CBPP.


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


* Resource: Summary & Section-by-Section: May 2026 Imm Enforcement Reconciliation Bill [[link removed]] , NILC.


* Fact Sheet: Families Need Relief from Runaway Prescription Drug Costs: Congress Must End Patent Abuses That Drive Up Prices [[link removed]] [[link removed]] , Families USA .


* 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 Medicaid State Directed Payments [[link removed]] , Families USA
* 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.


State Resources
* Blog: Post‑H.R. 1, the Fiscal Case for Medicaid Expansion in Holdout States Remains Strong [[link removed]] , Families USA
* Blog: Despite Deep Federal Cuts, Medicaid Expansion Continues to Benefit States [[link removed]] , Families USA
* 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
* Common Dreams quoted Families USA executive director Anthony Wright in ‘Republicans Created This Crisis on Purpose’: Federal Data Shows ACA Enrollment Plunging [[link removed]]
[[link removed]]
CONNECT [[email protected]?subject=Wanting%20to%20connect&body=] GIVE FEEDBACK [[link removed]]
Have a great week,
Nate Keller
Partnerships Mobilization Associate
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
Copyright © 2022 Families USA, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Families USA
1225 New York Ave NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC xxxxxx
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .