Health Care

Late Monday night (February 5, 2018), the House of Representatives released a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and running until March 23, 2018. This CR includes many health care related provisions, specifically many of the health care “minibus” riders. In the chart below we summarize major health care provisions in this CR specific to the health care minibus.

This week, Congress needs to pass a government funding bill by Thursday. Will we get a final budget deal or another continuing resolution? There are still several important health care programs that need to be addressed as well as health care initiatives that have bipartisan support and could find their way into a deal.

On Wednesday, January 24, 2018, Governor Charlie Baker released a $40.9 billion budget proposal for FY2019. The plan, commonly referred to as House 2, is the fourth Baker has proposed since assuming office and increases spending by 2.6% over FY2018 levels.

This week, President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Following his speech, both parties will leave town for party retreats where they will discuss priorities for the year ahead.

The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) voted in late December to approve draft regulations establishing the framework for the recreational marijuana industry of Massachusetts.

Congress has four days to fund the government. The emerging spending deal could include any number of legislative priorities. We will wait and see for signs that a spending deal is close before we start envisioning what a short-term continuing resolution might look like.

This week, Congress returns to D.C. with 11 days to pass a government funding bill that may touch on issues such as CHIP, the minibus, DACA, and disaster relief. How this all comes together by January 19th will start to play out this week.

2017 was an eventful year for health care, and now we can all sit back and relax with very little concern that major health policy will be on the table in 2018. Right? Not so fast. Talks of entitlement reform, upcoming regulatory action in Medicare, Medicaid, FDA and the Marketplace, and let's not forget the still lingering health care minibus. Lots to do in 2018 and we are just getting started.

Happy New Year and welcome to 2018! Our first weekly preview of the year dives into the issues left unresolved in 2017. Where does CHIP and the minibus fit into the developing government funding bill, which Congress will have to finalize or pass another continuing resolution by January 19th.

Republicans enter this week on target to pass a sweeping tax reform package after securing support from Senators Corker (TN) and Rubio (FL). Additionally Susan Collins (ME) applauded the “inclusion of multiple amendments,” but stopped short of publicly supporting the measure.

This week, Republicans will ramp up efforts to pass a tax reform package. We should also get signs that a year-end spending deal is coming together. How things play out this week -- both inside and outside the Beltway -- will have implications for taxes, health care, and funding the government.

Following weekend passage of the Senate tax bill, we return this week with Congress needing to pass a government-spending bill. While it’s widely expected that this will be a two-week continuing resolution (CR), giving lawmakers time to hash out a long-term deal, a short-term extension still requires Democratic votes since spending measures can be filibustered (e.g., October 2013).

Congress has its work cut out for itself between now and the end of the year. Between addressing the programs that constitute the Health Care Minibus, funding the government, and tax reform, there are also questions related to a market stabilization package (Alexander-Murray), the 340B program, the opioid epidemic, and another hurricane relief package.

Massachusetts policymakers continue to debate health care reform proposals with important implications for industry stakeholders.

It's all about tax reform in Congress. This week, the House will look to pass its version of tax reform while the Senate begins marking up its package. Meanwhile, the end of the year is fast approaching and there are number of issues, including the health care minibus, that will need to be addressed.

The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance has released draft regulations changing the existing Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC), creating a temporary supplemental contribution, and modifying the unemployment insurance rate schedule.

The CHIP Reauthorization fight heads to the Senate where it faces an uncertain path forward as neither side can agree on payfors and the Senate Finance Committee focuses in on tax reform. While the Trump Administration is reportedly preparing an executive order that would eliminate the individual mandate, they are in a holding pattern to see if it gets included in the tax reform package.

As the calendar turns to November, pressure continues to grow in Congress to pass a CHIP extension and address outstanding minibus extenders. Also on the radar is the first open enrollment period under the Trump Administration and the implications this could have for other policy issues.

Our colleagues at ML Strategies have provided their Health Care Weekly Preview for the week of October 23, 2017. The preview discusses the Alexander-Murray stabilization package introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA).

Last week, ML Strategies released an Advisory providing a comprehensive review of the sweeping health care legislation recently released by the Massachusetts Senate.