Updates & Analysis

In this update:  Administration Update Trump Administration to Cut 80,000 VA Jobs On March 5th, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a memo detailing plans to cut more than 15% of the VA workforce, or roughly 80,000 workers. The effort will be led by the U.S. DOGE Service, headed by Elon Musk. Most of the…

On March 4th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an informational bulletin (CIB) that rescinds guidance issued during the Biden Administration on opportunities available to states under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to address Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN). The rescinded guidance from November 2023 (here and here) and December 2024 (here)…

In this update:  Administration Update White House Issues RFI on AI Action Plan On February 25th, President Trump announced a Request for Information (RFI) on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan. The Action Plan will “define the priority policy actions needed to sustain and enhance America’s AI dominance, and to ensure that unnecessarily…

In this update:  NYS and NYC Opportunities DOH Issues RFA for Administration of Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Waiver ProgramsOn February 12th, the New York State (NYS) Department of Health (DOH) issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the local administration of Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) and…

In this update:  Administration Updates Trump Administration Expected to Defend ACA in Case Regarding USPSTF Authority On February 14th, Inside Health Policy reported that “a source close to the issue” confirmed that the Trump administration will argue in support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in Braidwood v. Becerra. Last…

In this update:  Administration Updates White House Announces Make America Healthy Again Commission On February 13th, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission, to be chaired by newly-confirmed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The Commission is tasked with “investigating and addressing the root causes of…

Today (February 10th), Judge John McConnell of the Federal District Court of Rhode Island issued a new ruling that the Trump Administration is out of compliance with the temporary restraining order (TRO) that he placed on January 31st prohibiting it from “freezing” federal funds. On February 7th, the plaintiffs in this case (including the State of…

In this update:  NYS and NYC Opportunities OMH and OCFS Issue Round Five of Community Mental Health Loan Repayment ProgramOn February 4th, the New York State (NYS) Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) issued the fifth application round for the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program. The 2024-25…

In this update:  Administration Update Trump Administration Announces Tariffs on Mexican, Canadian, and Chinese ImportsOn February 1st, the Trump Administration announced executive action to impose new tariffs on the United States’ three largest trading partners: Mexico, Canada, and China. This policy included a 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian imports, and 10% on Chinese imports.…

In this update:  Administration Updates Confusion Continues Around Attempted Federal Funding FreezeThe Trump Administration engaged in a series of actions this week attempting to freeze federal funds that were appropriated by Congress:  Given the confusion surrounding these communications, a second federal Judge, U.S. District Judge John McConnell, heard arguments in a lawsuit brought by Democratic…

Since June 2023, most health care providers in New York working on projects that require a Certificate of Need (CON) have had to include a Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) with their CON application. These HEIAs use a combination of data analysis and public engagement to inform the applicant and the State of the effects…

On January 27th, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo purporting to require Federal agencies to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.” ScopeThe memo claims to define “Federal financial assistance” to include the following components, based on the definition in…