More and more, leadership is talked about and addressed through issues such as appointment, training, and mentoring.  Leadership is particularly important and timely when considering child protection and child welfare issues over the last several years. Every election cycle is an opportunity for a local jurisdiction or state to be confronted with the challenges of appointing new leadership. Conflict or controversy often cause a change in leadership, which presents additional challenges...

In follow-up to its letter to Governors regarding the Section 1332 Waiver opportunity, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Treasury released a Section 1332 checklist on May 16 designed to help states pursue ACA State Innovation Waivers. Section 1332 of the ACA allows ...

In December 7, 2016 Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act (the “Act”), which was signed into law on December 14, 2016. The Act is aimed at modernizing health care delivery, improving quality and targeted improvements in the area of cancer treatment, mental health care, opioid addiction, and other focused areas. One such modernization effort requires states to implement Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) systems for personal care services and home health care services providers...

On May 18, 2017, 15 states and the District of Columbia filed a motion to intervene in House v. Price, a lawsuit threatening the availability of federal funds (about $9 billion in 2017) for cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to health insurers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The lawsuit pertains to whether or not CSR payments are subject to annual Congressional appropriations.  It was initially filed in November 2014 in U.S. District Court, which ruled in favor of the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2016, but held its decision in abeyance pending appeal.  It is now before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia.