Toward Holistic Health Services under Medicaid As an optional benefit under Medicaid, Home and Community-Based Services are at risk of deep cuts as federal Medicaid funding is reduced. Just last week, federal legislative proposals were reintroduced to ensure comprehensive HCBS coverage under Medicaid, along with the adequate workforce funding needed to sustain it. The HCBS […] Read More »
Archives for 2026
May 1, 2026
Examining Upcoming Changes in Healthcare Coverage In prior newsletters, we highlighted the comment period which was open for the 2027 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP). The NBPP is the regulatory framework which CMS uses to operate the federally facilitated marketplace (healthcare.gov). AAHD did submit comments in conjunction with the Lakeshore Foundation raising concerns […] Read More »
April 24, 2026
Talking Points on Medicaid Work Requirements Medicaid enrollees are responsible for meeting work requirements starting no later than January 2027. Even though some disabled enrollees will be exempt, every enrollee will be impacted by these reporting requirements and responsible for completing paperwork to retain coverage. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) has a […] Read More »
April 17, 2026
Beyond the Fraud Algorithm Last week, we covered the responses of disability advocates to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) call for information on waste, fraud, and abuse in healthcare programs like Medicaid. Despite these federal claims of waste, the data is just not there to justify cuts to essential services. Even now, […] Read More »
April 10, 2026
Healthcare Fraud Advocates Address Claims of Waste, Fraud & Abuse The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) closed their Request for Information last week into claims of waste, fraud, and abuse into our federal public health programs. The RFI is part of a broader initiative called “Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare” (CRUSH), which […] Read More »
March 27, 2026
Surveys Show Concerns Consumers Have with Healthcare in 2026 Solutions to our health care crisis continue to be divided. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) details that views on the Affordable Care Act continue to be divided across party lines, though support for certain ACA provisions is more universal. Regardless of party affiliation, most people support the […] Read More »
March 20, 2026
Home Care is Health Care Home care is an essential support for community living for over 5 million people across the United States. Medicaid is the primary payer for home care. With these services, disabled and aging individuals can get supportive services to assist with daily self-care. This is an important alternative for people who […] Read More »
March 13, 2026
Work Requirements on Medicaid Community engagement (aka work) requirements are coming for Medicaid enrollees in 2026. States have a January 1, 2027 deadline to meet this requirement from the federal budget reconciliation package (HR 1). In the meantime, some states are opting to meet these requirements early. Kaiser Family Foundation offers a map showing the […] Read More »
March 6, 2026
Requirements for Care in 2026 Despite broad public concern around health and healthcare affordability, our national health systems are still a “nightmare of complexity” (according to Health Affairs). With states like Minnesota losing up to $2 billion in annual federal Medicaid funds due to accusations of fraud, access to care without barriers is in the […] Read More »
February 27, 2026
State of the Union: Health Healthcare affordability is still a top issue for Americans, amidst a broader livability crisis. Even insured Americans are struggling to cover out-of-pocket costs. With the State of the Union on Tuesday night, President Trump spoke to this crisis, reiterating his plans to address affordability through direct payments to consumers in […] Read More »