After months of negotiations, the House passed the Senate’s amended version of H.R. 1 on Thursday, July 3, sending the bill to the President’s desk just ahead of the Republicans’ self-imposed deadline. The legislation cuts over $1 trillion of health care spending by placing severe limits on state directed payments, provider taxes, and eligibility requirements, including strict Medicaid work requirements, which, all combined, are expected to result in coverage losses for over 11 million Americans.
This new law poses significant challenges for essential hospitals and the communities they serve. However, many lawmakers expressed reservations with the Medicaid-related aspects of the bill as it moved through both chambers, and, because many provisions do not take effect for several years, our advocacy team will connect with these lawmakers to affect changes to aspects of the law that would negatively impact our members.
Additionally, our legislative affairs team is turning its attention to key health care extenders, such as the implementation of Medicaid DSH cuts, the hospital-at-home-program, and telehealth programs set to expire this fall. With a September deadline approaching, we are meeting with congressional offices to ensure the priorities of essential hospitals remain front and center.
Committee Activity This Week
The House and Senate are in session Monday through Thursday this week, with the latter also convening on Friday.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on Wednesday, July 9, at 10:15 am ET, titled, “Legislative Proposals to maintain and Improve the Public Health Workforce, Rural Health, and Over-the-Counter Medicines.”
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a nomination executive session on Wednesday, July 9, at 9:45 am ET to consider Susan Monarez for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This will be followed by a full committee hearing at 10 am ET, titled, “Securing the Future of Health Care: Enhancing Cybersecurity and Protecting Americans’ Privacy.”
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