Furloughed CMS Employees To Return Temporarily For Open Enrollment
Employees have been furloughed since the government shut down three weeks ago. Meanwhile, federal workers have begun missing paychecks, and Democrats blocked a bill that would have allowed some workers to be paid.
The New York Times:
U.S. Health Workers Recalled From Shutdown Furlough For Medicare, A.C.A. Enrollments
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it would temporarily call back all of its furloughed employees on Monday to handle open enrollment for both Medicare and health plans available under the Affordable Care Act. The decision was made “to best serve the American people amid the Medicare and marketplace open enrollment seasons,” according to an agency spokeswoman. The employees have been furloughed for three weeks since the government shutdown began. (Abelson, 10/23)
The New York Times:
Federal Workers Have Started Missing Paychecks During The Shutdown
Thousands of federal workers missed their first paycheck this week as the government shutdown persisted with no end in sight. Among those working without pay is Pamela Ward, a telephone service representative for the Social Security Administration in Birmingham, Ala. Ms. Ward said that she knew she would not be paid this week, but seeing a $0 paycheck was still a shock. “It was a rough day today,” Ms. Ward, 52, said on Wednesday. “I think the roughest part is I’ve worked all my life. I’ve worked 27 years, and this is my first time ever receiving a paycheck when there was nothing on it.” (Sullivan, 10/24)
Bloomberg:
Democrats Block Senate Bill To Pay Some Workers During Shutdown
Senate Democrats blocked a Republican measure aimed at paying military troops and some federal workers during the US government shutdown in the latest sign the spending deadlock shows no sign of ending. The vote on Thursday to advance the bill failed on a 54 to 45 vote, with 60 votes needed. Democrats have blocked a temporary spending measure 12 times in the Senate since, arguing that they cannot support it without new healthcare spending attached. (Wasson, 10/23)
On SNAP funding —
NBC News:
SNAP Recipients Told To Buy Shelf-Stable Food As Funding Deadline Looms
Recipients of SNAP food assistance benefits across the country face a looming deadline: Come Nov. 1, their cards may not get refilled because of the government shutdown in Washington. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves nearly 42 million people each month, allocates money to states on a monthly basis. Benefits were largely uninterrupted over the past three weeks because funding for October was allocated to states before the shutdown began on Oct. 1. (Bendix, 10/23)
KFF Health News:
KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Nutrition Programs Face Their Own Shutdown
Health programs are feeling the pinch of the ongoing government shutdown. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the food program for women, infants, and children, WIC, is likely to run out in November, and cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are keeping the agency from carrying out some of its primary public health functions. (Rovner, 10/23)
KFF Health News:
Listen: Amid Shutdown Stalemate, Families Brace For SNAP Cuts And Paycheck Limbo
Affordable Care Act tax credits are at the heart of one of the longest government shutdowns in U.S. history. The impact is starting to be felt by families and federal employees. Food assistance programs could run out of money at the end of the month. And federal health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have faced layoffs. (Rovner, 10/24)
On Obamacare —
KFF Health News:
GOP Talking Point Holds ACA Is Haunted By ‘Phantom’ Enrollees, But The Devil’s In The Data
The idea that Affordable Care Act marketplaces are riddled with fraud has become a major talking point among Republicans, as lawmakers in Congress argue about whether to extend the enhanced tax credits that are helping offset the cost of health care marketplace coverage for low- and middle-income people. Those ACA subsidies expire at the end of the year and have become a flash point in the government funding showdown. “The tax credits go to some people deservedly. And we think the tax credits actually go to a lot of waste and fraud within the insurance industry,” said Vice President JD Vance during a recent interview on CBS News. (Knight, 10/24)
Modern Healthcare:
Molina Healthcare To Exit Some ACA Markets In 2026
Molina Healthcare is pulling out of one-fifth of the counties where it sells health insurance exchange plans, the company announced Thursday. While the exchanges represent a substantial share of Molina Healthcare’s business, the segment is pressured by costs that exceeded projections, Chief Financial Officer Mark Keim said during a call with investor analysts on the company’s third-quarter financial report. (Tepper, 10/23)
Modern Healthcare:
Where Centene, Oscar, Cigna Are Expanding ACA Plans For 2026
Major health insurance companies are expanding where they sell exchange plans for 2026 despite uncertainty over rising costs and federal policy. The biggest unknown is how Congress will deal with the enhanced exchange subsides that drove record enrollment in recent years but are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The issue is at the center of the showdown between the Republican congressional majority and the Democratic minority that led to the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. (Tepper, 10/23)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
The Hill:
Casey Means, Trump's Surgeon General Pick, Set For Virtual Confirmation Hearing
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) will hold a virtual confirmation hearing over the nomination of Casey Means to be U.S. surgeon general next week, five months after she was nominated. The HELP Committee said in an announcement that Means would appear before the panel virtually, calling in from Kilauea, Hawaii. (Choi, 10/23)
