Nebraska and all the states will face devastating cuts to their federal funding beginning January 1, 2013, if no action is taken by Congress to address the automatic cuts required by the Budget Control Act. The Budget Control Act required a committee to come to a deal regarding budget cuts to make for deficit reduction. […]
Across-the-Board Budget Cuts will Hurt Crucial Nebraska Programs Read More »
A few months ago the Nebraska Legislature passed Legislative Bill 599 (LB599), which restores coverage of prenatal care to all unborn children, regardless of the immigration status of the mother. The law went into effect on July 19, so women can start applying for and receiving coverage for prenatal care services as long as they
Important Information on New Prenatal Care Law Read More »
Nebraska Appleseed has been watching carefully the implementation of ACCESS Nebraska, our state’s new way of managing public assistance programs like food stamps and Medicaid. Some of you may be wondering: how is it going? This article from the Omaha World Herald provides an update on ACCESS Nebraska from multiple perspectives: “Nebraska’s Food Stamp Errors
ACCESS Nebraska Update Read More »
It is not easy to find a job that will pay sufficient wage to support a family. Indeed, in today’s economy, education and skills are needed by all – young and old. That is just part of what I learned last week in Chicago at the Working Poor Families Project (WPFP) training, where advocates from
To Earn a Living Wage, Nebraskans Need More Education & Skills Training Read More »
Today, Nebraska Appleseed and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) filed a class action lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court against two officers of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on behalf of two children who have been denied necessary behavioral health treatment recommended by their doctors. The suit challenges an HHS
The state’s child welfare system is in great need of reform. A vital piece of ensuring reform is effective is to prevent children from entering the system unnecessarily. LB 1063 is intended to address gaps in Medicaid services for children, which needlessly push children into the system to obtain the mental health services they need. Indeed, LB 1063 makes certain
LB 1063 Aims to Fill Medicaid Gaps & Help Parents Keep Their Kids Read More »
On February 1, the Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing on LB 1041 and LB 1016. Both of these bills are intended to address problems with the ACCESS Nebraska system. Appleseed supports both of these bills. LB 1041 would streamline HHS systems to make them more efficient and effective for everyone. LB 1016
Improve Service Delivery and Efficiency in the Department of Health & Human Services Read More »
In April 2011, the Legislature passed LB 465. This new law changes eligibility for some public benefit programs for certain lawful permanent residents. A lawful permanent resident (LPR) is an immigrant with a green card, who is legally admitted to the U.S. to live and work on a permanent basis. Below is a Q&A to
Legislative Bill 465 and Lawful Permanent Residents Read More »
Last week Appleseed won a lawsuit in the Nebraska Supreme Court which restored Medicaid benefits to hundreds of low-income parents unlawfully dropped from the program by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the suit, Davio v. HHS, 280 Neb 263 (2010), class members challenged HHS’ policy of terminating a person’s Medicaid
Nebraska Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Low-Income Parents Dropped from Medicaid Read More »
For many years, Nebraska Appleseed has worked to protect access to health care for low-income families in our state. We continued to strive towards this goal recently in the Nebraska Supreme Court, by representing a class of over 400 low-income families that had lost Medicaid health care coverage. In the case of Davio v. Nebraska
Economic Independence and Access to Health Care Go Hand-in-Hand Read More »