Letter to Congress: Level-fund the CDC Asthma Program

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CALC partners signed on to a letter urging Congress to level-fund the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program at $29million.

 At present, 24 states and Puerto Rico receive critical funding from the National Asthma Control Program. Our request for level funding for the National Asthma Control Program at $29.0 million would ensure these much needed resources would continue to assist states with combatting the terrible human and economic burden caused by asthma. 

Support for school asthma management plans in ESEA

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This letter from leading asthma organization, many of whom are members of the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition, requests Section 4105 (a)(4)(T) of the Senate substitute of S. 1177, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act be included in the final bill Congress approves. This provision would allow states and local educational agencies to use funds from Title IV (Safe and Healthy Students) for "the development and implementation of school asthma management plan[s].” 

Download the letter.

Children’s Coverage Letter to MACPAC

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CALC’s letter to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) serves as our comments in response to the MACPAC request for input about access to and affordability of children’s coverage. The letter addresses our views and concerns about the future of CHIP and the adequacy of Marketplace coverage, with a particular focus on children and asthma.

Click here to view the letter. 

HUD Smoke-Free Letter

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CALC’s letter urges United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro to issue regulations making all government-subsidized housing smoke free. The letter was signed by CALC member organizations advocating for children and public health. It observes that this reform would:

  1. Protect kids from asthma – the most prevalent chronic health condition affecting children, and even more prevalent among kids in public housing;
  2. Mitigate racial disparities in health, and;
  3. Save a half-billion taxpayer dollars every year

Click here to read the letter.

Related: Advocates Call for Smoke-Free Public Housing (press release)

NHLBI Research Support Letter

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In September 2014, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) issued a Request for Information as they consider forming a research consortium to translate and disseminate evidence-based interventions into clinical practice. Translational research is much needed in the field of asthma and the Childhood Asthma Leadership Coalition responded to NHLBI’s request with a general letter of support for these efforts. 

Letter on the Free-Care Rule to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

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This letter was sent by the Coalition to ask CMS to clarify its regulation on Medicaid reimbursements to schools for providing health services to Medicaid-enrolled children. CMS guidance states that schools can only bill Medicaid for health services if they also bill third party insurers covering other kids, which is burdensome for schools to comply with. The HHS Appeals Board took up this issue and ruled that CMS did not have the right to enforce such a rule, but reimbursements to schools continue to be a hurdle. This letter asks CMS to allow schools to bill Medicaid for health services provided as intended by the HHS ruling.

Click here to view the letter