Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Key Safety Net Programs Face Funding Problems As Capitol Hill Is Slow To Cut Through Logjam
CQ: Cuts To Hospital Funding Loom As Congress Focuses On Repeal
Billions of dollars in federal funding cuts to hospitals across the country could go into effect within days if Congress – which has been focused on repealing the 2010 health care law – doesn’t act quickly. The cuts to so-called disproportionate share hospital, or DSH, payments are slated to take effect Oct. 1, putting into motion a series of yearly cuts that would slash the roughly $12 billion program by two-thirds by 2025. (Williams, 9/27)
CQ: Clock Ticks on Safety Net Health Programs
The prospects of passage for the bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Program and a host of other health programs that expire Sept. 30 are uncertain, leaving medical providers and state officials concerned about the consequences. Senators said late Tuesday that the legislation should not be hard to do. But they did not know when Congress would act. (Raman, 9/27)
Kaiser Health News: Congress’ Cold Shoulder Sends Shivers Through Community Health Centers
One community health center in New York has frozen hiring. Another in Missouri can’t get a bank loan to expand. The nation’s 1,400 community health centers are carefully watching expenses in case the financial rescue they hope Congress delivers this week doesn’t arrive. With four days left in the government’s fiscal year, Congress has not voted on reauthorizing billions of dollars now going to community health centers and other health programs for the 2018 budget year that starts Sunday. (Bluth, 9/27)
CQ: Senate Passes Chronic Care Bill
The Senate on Tuesday passed by voice vote a bill that would make changes to Medicare payment policies aiming to improve care for people with chronic health conditions. The wide-ranging bill would expand access to telehealth services under Medicare with an emphasis on stroke diagnosis and would try to improve the coordination of services. The bipartisan bill (S 870) by the leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and many committee members was approved unanimously by the panel in May. (Siddons 9/26)
The Hill: House To Vote On 20-Week Abortion Ban
The House plans to vote next week on a bill that would ban abortion after 20 weeks. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced Tuesday that the House would vote on the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," on Oct. 3. The bill last passed the House in 2015 but was blocked by Senate Democrats. (Hellmann, 9/26)
