FY2021 Appropriations Recommendations (Senate)
Summary: On May 22, 2020, PAEA submitted testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies focusing on the impact of Title VII health workforce programs on the ability of PA education to respond to emerging health crises such as COVID-19 and maternal mortality. This mirrors PAEA’s testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in March 2020.
Statement on DACA
On June 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States halted the Trump Administration’s rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, citing failure to adhere to administrative requirements for program termination. Given the significant presence of health professions students and clinicians among DACA recipients, PAEA opposes the termination of the program and supports the institution of statutory protections from deportation for undocumented individuals brought to the United States as children.
Section 1557 Protections
On June 12, 2020, the Trump Administration issued a final rule amending the Administration’s interpretation of sex-based discrimination under existing civil rights law to only include discrimination based on biological sex for the purposes of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Section 1557 provides recourse through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights for patients of certain protected classes who feel that they have been discriminated against by a provider, facility, or insurer. Based on the Association’s vision of Health for All, PAEA opposes the finalization of this rule and supports a definition of sex-based discrimination that includes gender identity
