On January 22, 2018, Congress reauthorized funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2023. The CHIP provisions are included as the Healthy Kids Act under H.R. 195, Division C.  Division B extends a short-term continuing resolution (CR), which was necessary to reverse a three-day federal government shut-down. Division D affects certain health care related taxes established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The President signed the bill into law on January 22. 

Public Consulting Group (PCG) today announced that it has been selected to present at SXSWedu, the leading education conference in Austin, Texas, in March, for the second year in a row. This year, PCG will lead four innovative sessions, once again bringing together thought leaders and experts from across the country to highlight innovation, best practices, and collaboration across a breadth of fields...

On January 11, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) distributed a State Medicaid Director letter outlining new guidelines for states about mandating work and other community engagement activities for adult Medicaid beneficiaries who are not aged, disabled, or pregnant. CMS defines community engagement broadly, as encompassing activities such as job search, education, skills training, caregiving, volunteer service, and treatment for substance use disorders; and suggests that such activities may be linked to better health outcomes.

For the past decade, funding has been a challenge at every level of government—local, state, and federal. The recession of 2008 was a particularly difficult time for funding across all levels of government, but it was arguably most difficult on the child welfare system as many jurisdictions had to deal with budget cuts brought about by reduced revenue. At the time, state and local government had to review priorities and determine its highest responsibility for prioritizing the distribution of reduced funds.