Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Approves Disability Aid Bill
The Associated Press: House OKs Bill To Widen Federal Help For Disabled
In a bipartisan show of unity, the House overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday to allow Americans with disabilities to open tax-free bank accounts to pay for expenses from education to housing and health care. The 404-17 vote approves the most sweeping legislation to help the disabled since 1990, affecting as many as 54 million disabled people and their families who often struggle to pay for intensive forms of care. It now goes to the Senate, where it was expected to move quickly to passage in the coming days. (Yen, 12/4)
The Associated Press: Advocates Urge Swift Senate Vote On Disability Aid
Supporters of legislation that would allow Americans with disabilities to open tax-free savings accounts to pay for long-term expenses are urging a swift vote in the Senate after the House overwhelmingly passed the bill. (12/4)
McClatchy News Service: Olathe Mother Lobbies Congress To Create Tax-free Accounts For Disabled People
Jawanda Mast is a mom on a mission. Every year, the 53-year-old Mast boards a plane from her home in Olathe to Washington, determined to persuade Congress to create tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities. Her daughter Rachel, 15, was born with Down syndrome. For more than half her daughter’s life, Mast has made her annual pilgrimage to Capitol Hill and returned home disappointed. Despite bipartisan support from 85 percent of Congress, the so-called Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, or ABLE, has stalled short of a vote in either chamber for eight years — until now. (Wise)
In other legislative news -
Stateline: Children's Health Program Faces Cloudy Future Under ACA
The Children’s Health Insurance Program got a big boost under the Affordable Care Act, which called for an increase in federal funding for the program and required states to maintain 2010 enrollment levels through 2019. But in the waning days of the lame-duck Congress, it is still not clear when or whether funding for the federal-state, low-income children’s health plan known as CHIP will be authorized beyond Sept. 30, when it is set to expire. (Vestal, 12/4)
The Hill: States Urge Congress To Extend CHIP
The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) received a ringing endorsement from states that urged Congress to extend the program's funding at least through the end of 2019. Thirty-nine governors and state health officials wrote to lawmakers to praise CHIP as the House and Senate begin debate over the program's budget, which expires on Sept. 30, 2015. (Viebeck, 12/3)
