Summary
The House returns today after being on recess last week, and the Senate is scheduled to come back into session tomorrow. This week the House could bring up the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, a bipartisan bill to expand the Child Tax Credit and provide an assortment of business tax benefits. The Senate will be focusing on the border security and foreign aid supplemental deal that was announced over the weekend. Text of the long-awaited negotiations is expected to be released early this week and it could see floor action by the end of the week. It remains to be seen if the bill will garner enough Republican votes to pass, especially after former President Trump tweeted his disapproval of the negotiations last week and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has repeatedly stated he would not support anything less than what the House has already passed. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is very supportive of the deal and has repeatedly said this is the time to pass border security legislation.
It was reported on Friday that the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have agreed on Subcommittee spending allocations (otherwise known as 302b’s). The numbers have not been made public yet, but this agreement will allow the Subcommittees to begin to conference the details of their bills and work towards an omnibus package before the current Continuing Resolutions expire on March 1 and March 8.
Hearings
House Energy and Commerce Committee: The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Wednesday titled “Health Care Spending in the United States” which will examine the factors causing cost increases for individuals, for the health care sector, and for federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Regulatory Update
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) completed reviewing a final rule would make regulatory changes to safeguard the confidentiality of substance use disorder records, as required by the CARES Act. OMB is also reviewing the following rules:
Medicare
- Alternative Payment Models – The proposed rule would implement a new Medicare payment model titled, Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model.
- Medicare Advantage and Part D – The proposed rule would make changes for CY 2025 for MA capitation rates and Part C and Part payment policies. Additionally, the proposed rule would provide draft CY 2025 Part D redesign program instructions.
Medicaid
- Disproportionate Share Hospital Program – The final rule would implement requirements under section 203 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), which relate to Medicaid shortfall and third-party payments.
- Eligibility and Enrollment – The final rule would implement changes to align enrollment and renewal requirements for most individuals in Medicaid and promote maintenance of coverage.
- Access to Care – A pair of final rule intended to access to care and quality outcomes for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries enrolled in managed care delivery systems and fee-for-service Medicaid.
Other Topics:
- Healthcare System Resiliency and Modernization – The proposed rule would revise and update national emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare- and Medicaid-participating providers and suppliers.