Health Agencies Stymied As Congress Remains Deadlocked On Funding Deal
The Department of Health and Human Services — particularly the National Institutes of Health — is seeing significant staff reductions as lawmakers continue the shutdown showdown largely over whether ACA subsidies should be extended. Plus, hospitals already filled to the brim are receiving an influx of patients now that CMS reimbursements for hospital at home care have been halted.
Fierce Biotech:
NIH Research Grinds To A Halt As Government Shuts Down
As the U.S. government shuts down due Congress' failure to pass a spending bill, the National Institutes of Health is implementing a contingency staffing plan that will again roil a research apparatus that has already been heavily disrupted during the second Trump administration. The NIH will retain 4,477, or 24.5%, of its staff during the shutdown, primarily to maintain operations at the NIH Clinical Center, which is a hospital run by the agency, according to the plan. (Incorvaia, 10/1)
CIDRAP:
HHS To Furlough 41% Of Workforce During Federal Government Shutdown
Federal health officials say critical activities related to public health emergencies will continue despite the federal government shutdown, but other areas of the federal health bureaucracy will be significantly affected by furloughs unless lawmakers can resolve the impasse. In a post this morning on the social media site X, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said activities related to "imminent threats to the safety of human life or protection of property" will continue. (Dall, 10/1)
NPR:
Furloughs, Closures And Mass Firings Threats: What's Next In The Shutdown Fight
The effects of a government shutdown are rippling across the country. Yesterday, federal workers stayed home from work, national parks prepared to close down and people seeking services from the federal government met a patchwork of availability and access. In Washington, White House officials and Congressional leaders spent the day pointing blame in public while a small group of lawmakers in the Senate began talks about a potential offramp. ... No votes are planned for Thursday to allow lawmakers to observe the Jewish holiday. Senate GOP leaders are expected to call for another vote on Friday on the House-passed stopgap bill that funds federal agencies through November 21. Leaders are still discussing plans for possible weekend votes. But the three times they've attempted to pass the measure did not result in the 60 votes needed to advance. (Schapitl, Walsh and Ordoñez, 10/2)
Politico:
Vance Says He’ll Talk Obamacare Premiums With Schumer — But Only With Government Open
Vice President JD Vance has an offer for Senate Democrats to end the government shutdown, he told “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday. Join onto the Republicans’ continuing resolution, and he’ll head to the Capitol “right now” to work with Democrats on extending insurance subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, the line in the sand Democratic party leaders have drawn in the government funding fight. (Svirnovskiy, 10/1)
Politico:
How John Thune Sees The Shutdown Ending
Senate Majority Leader John Thune laid out a path to end the government shutdown in an exclusive interview Wednesday, saying he is willing to discuss the shape of future health care negotiations if a “critical mass” of Democrats say they are willing to support a House-passed funding bill in return. The comments, made in his Capitol office less than 18 hours into the first shutdown since 2019, are in keeping with the South Dakota Republican’s current strategy — which is to let pressure build on Democrats to back the GOP-led House stopgap as the only solution. (Carney, 10/1)
AP:
Republicans Make False Claim About Free Health Care To 'Illegal Immigrants'
CLAIM: Democrats shut down the government because they want to give free health care to immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. THE FACTS: This is false. Democrats say they are pushing for the inclusion of key health care provisions in the next congressional spending package. In particular, they are seeking an extension of tax credits that millions of Americans use to buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange and a reversal of Medicaid cuts made in the bill Trump signed into law in July. (Goldin, 10/1)
Also —
Becker's Hospital Review:
Health Systems Scramble To Discharge Hospital-At-Home Patients
Health systems have had to scramble to discharge or move their hospital-at-home patients as CMS reimbursement for the program lapsed with the federal government shutdown. Healthcare organizations approved for the CMS waiver to provide acute hospital care at home had to discharge or transfer those Medicare beneficiaries to the hospital by midnight Oct. 1, sending many patients back to capacity-strained facilities. (Bruce, 10/1)
Bloomberg:
US Government Shutdown Has Insurers Pressing For Obamacare Subsidy Renewal
Ominous images of anxious adults and children began flashing on streaming services and social media more than a week before Senate Democrats forced a government shutdown over their demands to renew expiring Obamacare insurance subsidies. “Health care costs will skyrocket,” the advertisements warn, urging Americans to “Tell Congress” to act to continue the tax credits as the video shifts to a view of the Capitol building. (Birnbaum, 10/1)
