From DC is Justice in Growing old’s weekly roundup of nationwide information and assets about points impacting older adults. To obtain From DC in your inbox as quickly as its printed, join our mailing listing.
Right here’s what we’re watching in Washington:
Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP Hit Procedural Hurdles as Senate Rushes to Vote
Final week, the Senate Finance Committee unveiled its personal model of the funds reconciliation laws, which worsens the draconian Medicaid cuts made within the Home-passed H.R. 1. Amongst different cuts, the Senate invoice would limit supplier tax guidelines much more, additional hobbling states’ skill to fund their Medicaid packages.
This week, the Senate Parliamentarian dominated that a number of of the invoice’s well being care provisions as at present drafted can’t proceed below the particular reconciliation guidelines that let passage of the invoice with solely 51 votes. Republicans should rework or scrap invoice language pertaining to supplier taxes, protection for immigrants, and gender-affirming care.
The Parliamentarian remains to be reviewing different Medicaid provisions, together with prohibiting enforcement of nursing residence resident safeguards and guidelines that modernize eligibility and enrollment for older adults and folks with disabilities who depend on each Medicare and Medicaid. The Parliamentarian has already permitted revised invoice language making large cuts to Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) advantages.
Even with these procedural setbacks and earlier than the Congressional Price range Workplace can rating the invoice’s full affect, Senate management is racing to vote earlier than July 4th. If handed, the invoice would end result within the largest cuts ever made to Medicaid and SNAP — considerably harming older adults and folks with disabilities who depend upon these packages to satisfy their primary wants.
Study extra about how the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare in H.R. 1 would hurt older adults in our new evaluation and Justice in Growing old’s different Medicaid Protection assets. Now could be the second to make your voice heard.
Name your Senators and Consultant at present at 202-224-3121 and urge them to vote no on H.R. 1 or any invoice that cuts Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP or different important packages older adults depend on.
SSA Releases New and Up to date Varieties
The Social Safety Administration (SSA) not too long ago launched new and up to date kinds for requesting continued fee of advantages in medical cessation circumstances and for requesting a waiver in overpayment circumstances.
One new kind is SSA-792, the Statutory Profit Continuation Election Assertion. Statutory Profit Continuation (SBC) permits a incapacity beneficiary – receiving both Social Safety Incapacity or Supplemental Safety Revenue (SSI) – to proceed receiving advantages whereas they enchantment a medical cessation on the reconsideration and listening to ranges.
Beforehand, SSA had used a normal assertion kind (SSA-795) to document a beneficiary’s request for persevering with advantages. SSA’s Emergency Message, EM 25033, offers extra details about how the brand new SSA-792 kind ought to be used.
SSA additionally up to date kind SSA-632, Request for Waiver of Overpayment Restoration, to mirror among the modifications to its waiver insurance policies made in 2024. The shape now:
- Displays the elevated administrative waiver quantity of $2,000;
- Provides SNAP and Medicare Half D Further Assist as sorts of needs-based help indicating that the overpaid individual has monetary hardship and doesn’t want to finish the remainder of the shape; and
- Specifies that two autos are exempt assets for figuring out monetary skill to repay the overpayment.
An up to date model of POMS GN 02250.230 refers back to the directions within the new SSA-632. Extra details about the modifications SSA made to its waiver insurance policies in 2024 may be present in Justice in Growing old’s assets on modifications to SSA overpayment insurance policies.
New Sources on Medicaid and SNAP Knowledge Sharing with Immigration Enforcement
Current reviews point out that the U.S. Division of Well being & Human Providers has shared private details about Medicaid enrollees with immigration enforcement officers, disregarding longstanding protections and violating the elemental proper to privateness.
In response to those occasions, the Nationwide Immigration Legislation Heart and the Defending Immigrant Households Coalition have launched a information with what advocates have to know, advised actions for Medicaid and SNAP businesses, and an appendix of statutory privateness protections. The #Health4All coalition in California additionally developed an FAQ useful resource in English and a model in Spanish.
The sharing of private data destroys the hard-earned belief that older immigrants and others maintain in our authorities and additional creates worry of presidency providers and helps, in the end hurting the well being and well-being of all of us.
These actions are a part of the Trump Administration’s bigger anti-immigrant agenda that has already harmed older immigrants and older adults extra broadly. In the meantime, the funds reconciliation invoice being thought of in Congress assaults older immigrants by slicing well being care for many who are lawfully current, licensed to work, and have lived within the U.S. and paid taxes for a few years.
Learn Justice in Growing old’s full assertion condemning the sharing of Medicaid enrollees’ private information with immigration officers.
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