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August 23, 2013

NACHSA e-Alert

 

Greetings NACHSA Members!

  

Federal Update: Washington, DC remains relatively quiet as Congress continues its summer recess until September 9. There is still some discussion on whether and how a farm bill would be revived legislatively and whether a nutrition section would be part of that bill.

As reported earlier, House Republicans are proposing an even larger cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), doubling the cut previously proposed to $40 billion over ten years. That cut is ten times greater than what the Senate has adopted. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has issued a report estimating that such a cut would SNAP assistance to about 4-6 million persons. Read the report here.  A state-by-state table may be accessed here. Such a cut may be considered by the House next month, but Senate Democrats have already rejected it.

On a related note, the 2009 Recovery Act's temporary boost to SNAP benefits is scheduled to end on November 1, 2013, resulting in a benefit cut for every SNAP household.  For families of four, the cut will be $36 a month. At this stage, it is highly unlikely that Congress will vote to extend the benefit. Click here to read a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities brief and the dollar loss for each state.

Scholarships Available: NACHSA is pleased offer up to five scholarships to attend this fall's human services conference to be held by the County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA). Directors or senior staff from NACHSA dues-paying counties are eligible to apply.  Click here for the brief application form. Slated for October 2-4 in Sacramento, CA, the conference --Transforming Culture, Embracing Change -- will continue the work done in recent years during CWDA's poverty symposiums and conferences, and will explore policies and strategies that best serve families across communities. The scholarships include registration, meals provided during the conference, up to three nights lodging and roundtrip airfare to Sacramento. To learn more about the conference, click here. Please contact Tom Joseph at [email protected] if you have questions.

Applications are due August 30.  

In This Issue
Health Reform Resources
Human Services Resources
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Health Reform Resources

ACA Expansion in County-Administered States: An August 5 story in NACo's County News notes that, 'in the 21 states in which counties are required to contribute to Medicaid, 10 states are moving forward with expanding eligibility for Medicaid, eight states are not moving forward on expansion, and three states - New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania - have not decided. While counties in states that are opting for Medicaid expansion may encounter additional costs with the enrollment, service delivery and coverage, counties in states that opt out of expansion may continue to pay for those who would have qualified under the Medicaid expansion but do not enroll in the Marketplace.' Click here to read the rest of the story and view a graph depicting which states with county Medicaid matches are expanding their Medicaid program under the ACA  

 

HHS Releases ACA Toolkit for County Officials: Noting counties' $69.7 billion annual investment in their local health systems, NACo President Linda Langston alerted NACo members on a new HHS Toolkit for Elected Officials on ACA Health Insurance Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment. Click here to read her letter and review the toolkit.  

 

NACo to Conduct ACA Webinar: On September 19 at 2 pm ET, NACo is holding a webinar entitled What Your County Needs to Know about Health Insurance Enrollment.   Learn from key health leaders about who is eligible to enroll for the state and federal health insurance marketplaces and about the enrollment process. Counties will also learn what resources are available to assist their residents and employees, if applicable, and the role they can play in enrollment efforts. Register here.

Human Services Resources
Child Welfare and Child Sex Trade VictimsNACHSA members discussed this issue at their meeting held last month at the NACo Annual Conference. An article from Salon outlines how the issue is emerging on the national front. And the summer issue of HHS's Children's Bureau Express looks at the intersection between child welfare and human trafficking. Click here to access those resources.

 

Reducing 'Toxic Stress' in Kids: This five-minute video, narrated by Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff, director of the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, suggests how adults can use the science on childhood trauma to improve the lives of children in poverty

 

Socioeconomic Stress Leaves Lasting Scars: This Huffington Post article notes, 'For many Americans, stress isn't juggling family and an outsize job, or looking for meaning in work and relationships. The stress of poverty can have devastating effects on well being - and when it occurs early in life, the scars are lasting and even deadly.' The story contains a number of infographics making the case. 

 

Financial Challenges of Youth in Foster Care: The National Foster Care Coalition held a listening session with the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) last month to highlight the financial challenges foster youth face, including identity theft, credit fraud and the lack of financial support and education many other youth have at that stage of their lives. Click here to read a policy brief from that session. The CFPB is tasked with restricting unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices; taking consumer complaints; promoting financial education; researching consumer behavior; monitoring financial markets for new risks to consumers; and enforcing laws that outlaw discrimination and other unfair treatment in consumer finance.

 

Antipsychotic Drug Prescriptions Among Low-Income Children: Federal health officials have launched a probe into the use of antipsychotic drugs on children in the Medicaid system, amid concern that the medications are being prescribed too often to treat behavioral problems in the very young. The HHS inspector general's office says it recently began a review of antipsychotic-drug use by Medicaid recipients age 17 and under. In 2008, the most recent year for which complete data are available, Medicaid spent $3.6 billion on antipsychotic medications, up from $1.65 billion in 1999. The growth came even as pharmacy benefits for millions of Medicaid recipients shifted to Medicare in 2006. Mark Duggan, a professor and health-policy expert at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, says his analysis of 2010 data on five leading antipsychotics suggests that more than 70% of the cost of these drugs was paid for by Medicaid and other government programs. Click here to view a Wall Street Journal graphic on the growth of antipsychotics.

 
The Aging of America in One Chart: This animated chart shows the distribution of the U.S. population by age over time, starting at 1900 and ending with Census Bureau forecasts between now and 2060.
 
Demographics and Economics of Aging: This new Population Reference Bureau brief focuses on the demographics and economics of aging with a particular focus on Older Americans Act (OAA) services. It draws on research findings on the health, economic circumstances, and social well-being of older Americans, including disability, elder abuse, caregiving, long-term care, and cognitive impairment. (9 pp.)
Tom Joseph
National Association of County Human Services Administrators