Gretchen Whitmer gives policy talk at the Ford School: The Detroit Grand Bargain(Photo credit: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan - CC 2.0) Michigan is set to implement Medicaid work requirements on January 1, 2020, but a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was filed on November … [Read more...]
States and Pharmacies Soon May Be Able to Import Drugs From Canada
Just one year after referring to proposals to allow Americans to import cheaper drugs from our northern neighbor, Canada, a “gimmick,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the federal government is now “open for business” on this idea. A preliminary plan to import less expensive drugs from Canada has been announced; however, certain … [Read more...]
Judge Orders ORR to Identify Separated Children Within Six Months
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is fighting the United States Government in Court in an effort to put a stop to the separation of children and their families at the US-Mexico border and to reunite separated families. The judge in that case (Ms. L., et al. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al, 18CV0428) issued an order last … [Read more...]
Foster Agency Requires Parents be White, Straight, and Christian
You may not get to a foster a child in South Carolina anytime soon if you’re anything but a White, heterosexual, Christian couple after the Donald Trump administration recently granted a federally funded foster care agency in the Palmetto State the right to freely discriminate against potential foster parents who are LGBTQ, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, … [Read more...]
HHS Launches Investigation into Fetal Tissue Research
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is an agency of the federal government tasked with protecting the health of the citizens of the United States. It was created in the 1940s as the Federal Security Agency, and, after going through multiple name and responsibility changes, became the Department of Health and Human … [Read more...]
In Depth: Trump Wants to Lengthen Detainment of Immigrant Minors
Move by DHS and HHS Could Increase Confinement Times for Migrant Children The Trump administration recently signaled its intention to expand federal detention facilities and increase custody times for migrant children. In the process, a decades-old settlement regarding the treatment of unaccompanied immigrant minors could be eliminated. What … [Read more...]
Court Allows Blue States to Intervene in ACA Lawsuit
A group of 17 state attorneys general, led by California AG Xavier Becerra, will be able to intervene in a lawsuit against Obamacare, thanks to a federal judge’s order granting their request. The lawsuit, filed in February by 20 Republican States, will technically target the Trump Administration, who will probably not put up a fight in the legal … [Read more...]
White House Censors the CDC
In 2007, the US Supreme Court issued a decision asking the EPA to determine whether greenhouse gases could “reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.” The agency went to work, seeking an answer to the Justices’ question. There were those who earnestly sought an answer, and there were those who sought to interfere with this … [Read more...]
Nursing Home Abuse Goes Severely Underreported
Under federal law, as it currently stands, nursing homes are required to report elderly abuse two hours following a serious incident. Less serious injuries must be reported 24 hours after the event. Failing to do so could result in the nursing home paying out $300,000 in fines. In violation of this clearly written law, most nursing homes fail to … [Read more...]