Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospital-At-Home Funding Extended Five Years Under House-Passed Bill
Modern Healthcare: House Passes Acute Hospital-At-Home Funding Extension
The House of Representatives took the first step toward extending Medicare’s authority to fund acute hospital-at-home services, passing a bill late Monday that would allow such services for five more years. The Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act of 2025 passed overwhelmingly on what’s known as the suspension calendar, which the House uses to handle popular, non-controversial measures. (McAuliff, 12/2)
The latest on ACA subsidies —
Bloomberg: Obamacare Subsidies Likely To Expire With Congress In Deadlock
Chances are increasing that Obamacare subsidies will expire at the end of the month and trigger a spike in health insurance premiums as a deadlock in Congress deepens on the issue. More than 20 million Americans insured through Obamacare face a premium spike that on average will more than double their costs beginning Jan. 1. Leading insurance companies are at risk of hits to their bottom lines as customers opt to go without coverage rather than cover the additional cost. (Wasson, Reilly and Dennis, 12/2)
Politico: Republicans Want A Health Care Plan. They Don’t Know What Will Go In It
Republican lawmakers are looking to craft their own health care policy overhauls by the end of next week, when Senate Democrats get a vote on expiring Obamacare subsidies. So far they don’t agree on what their competing plan should look like. In separate closed-door meetings Tuesday, House and Senate Republicans debated what they could put forth as they face the reality that health insurance premiums will skyrocket if enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits lapse after Dec. 31. (Carney and Lee Hill, 12/2)
The New York Times: Trump Calls Affordability A ‘Con Job’ As His Edge On The Economy Slips
President Trump on Tuesday downplayed the cost-of-living pains being felt by Americans, declaring that affordability “doesn’t mean anything to anybody” as his political edge on the economy continues to dissipate. (Green, 12/2)
Also —
Environment America: Swimmers, Rowers Call On Congress To Stop Sewage Pollution
More than 200 rowers, swimmers and other water athletes – including members of Team USA and Olympic competitors – are calling on Congress to increase funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to $10 billion annually. (Rumpler, 12/2)
The Hill: 90 Ex-House Members Call For Stock Trading Ban
Ninety former House members signed a letter calling on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to pass legislation prohibiting members of Congress and their families from owning or trading individual stocks. In a letter, published Tuesday, the former elected officials urged the top Republican and Democrat in the House to hold a floor vote on the Restore Trust in Congress Act, saying they “strongly recommend attaching this legislation to a ‘must pass’ package before the conclusion of the year.” The former lawmakers also cited a recent Wall Street Journal analysis showing a surge in stock trading by federal lawmakers and their families in early April, right before the market tanked alongside President Trump’s sweeping tariff rollout. (Fortinsky, 12/2)
Axios: Mike Johnson's Red Alert On Members Quitting Congress
Members of the House of Representatives are quitting Congress at a record rate, with Republican retirements and resignations outpacing Democrats by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in the first 11 months of the year. The record number of exits also guarantees that the next Congress will look considerably different than the current one, forcing leaders of both parties to contend with fresh faces and new challenges. (Santaliz and Nichols, 12/1)
