Congress Returns To Grueling Schedule Including Two Health Care Hearings This Week
Governors and state insurance commissioners are expected to testify at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearings this week. The chairman of the committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), has set an ambitious timeline for drafting legislation to shore up the health law marketplaces. Meanwhile, hard feelings over the failed replacement efforts may complicate future health policy discussions.
The Hill:
Week Ahead: Congress Returns To Take Up Bipartisan Health Care Effort
The Senate's Health Committee will hold two hearings in the coming week on a bipartisan healthcare bill, with testimony from governors and state insurance officials on Wednesday and Thursday, in addition to two more hearings the following week. The goal is to pass a bill by the end of the month to stabilize the insurance markets for 2018. (Hellmann, 9/5)
Politico:
Alexander Sets Ambitious Timetable For Obamacare Fixes
The chairman of the Senate health committee is aiming to break years of stalemate and pass a bipartisan Obamacare repair bill to try to stabilize health insurance markets in the remarkably short span of just three weeks. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) envisions a narrow bill that won't fix everything but would provide some assurances for insurers selling coverage next year. (Haberkorn, 9/1)
Reuters:
Bad Blood Over Obamacare Fight Lingers As Congress Returns
When the U.S. Congress returns from summer vacation on Tuesday, for the first time in years gutting Obamacare will not be the main order of business on the healthcare agenda. But leftover hard feelings in the wake of the long, partisan Obamacare wars could poison other issues. (Drawbaugh and Lewis, 9/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Faces A Tense Agenda, With Little Margin For Error
Mr. Trump over the August recess repeatedly criticized Republican lawmakers over Twitter , blaming them for the failure to repeal the health-care law. His tweets underscored the party’s inability to pass major legislation, despite controlling both chambers and the White House for the first time since 2007. Both House and Senate Republicans said Mr. Trump’s attacks on his own party won’t help them quickly pass the looming high-stakes bills that already face little room for error in either chamber. (Bender and Peterson, 9/4)
In related news, deciding whether to renew the CHIP program is another big item on Congress's packed to-do list —
CQ Magazine:
Fall Legislative Preview: Children's Health Insurance Program
The Children’s Health Insurance Program covers 8.9 million kids whose families don’t meet the income requirements to qualify for Medicaid but who might not otherwise be able to afford health insurance. The program, created in 1997, provides grants to states and is supplemented by state funding. CHIP has traditionally had bipartisan support and has helped increase the insured rate for children to 95 percent nationwide. Unlike Medicaid, CHIP is not an entitlement program and must be renewed regularly. Under the 2010 health care law, states were required to maintain eligibility requirements that were in place that year until 2019. However, federal funding for the program will be exhausted by Sept. 30. (Raman, 9/5)
The New York Times:
Congress Returns To A Busy Schedule: Here’s What’s On The Agenda
The Children’s Health Insurance Program provides coverage for nearly 9 million children in low- and moderate-income families at a cost of about $15 billion a year. But funding for the program is set to expire Sept. 30, and Congress must renew it. That renewal could provide a vehicle for legislation to help stabilize the individual insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act, which have grown shaky as insurers have pulled out and premiums have risen. (Stolberg, 9/5)
