Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Cuts Resulting From One Big Beautiful Bill Are Spared — For Now
Modern Healthcare: Stopgap Funding Bill Averts Medicare Cuts Triggered By Tax Law
Medicare providers won’t endure about $500 billion in cuts because of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” after all. On Wednesday, the Republican-led Congress broke through a six-week standoff with Democrats to approve legislation that ends the government shutdown and finances federal operations through Jan. 30. The bill includes provisions to waive budget rules that would have required the White House to offset the tax law’s $3.4 trillion in deficit spending over 10 years, including by cutting around half a trillion dollars from Medicare. (McAuliff, 11/13)
Becker's Hospital Review: Health Systems Resume Hospital At Home As Government Reopens
Some health systems are relaunching hospital at home after Medicare reimbursement for the care model was restored with the deal to reopen the federal government. More than half of hospital-at-home programs temporarily or permanently closed following the Oct. 1 government shutdown, when the CMS waiver to provide acute hospital care at home expired. Another 23% pivoted to ambulatory care at home, according to the Hospital at Home Users Group. Daily admissions dropped by 67%. (Bruce, 11/13)
On the Affordable Care Act —
AP: Democrats Skeptical Of Health Care Talks Now That Shutdown Is Over
Now that the government shutdown is over, House and Senate Republicans say they will negotiate with Democrats on whether to extend COVID-era tax credits that help tens of millions of Americans afford their health care premiums. But finding bipartisan agreement could be difficult, if not impossible, before the subsidies expire at the end of the year. The shutdown ended this week after a small group of Democrats made a deal with Republican senators who promised a vote by mid-December on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies. But there is no guaranteed outcome, and many Republicans have made clear they want the credits to expire. (Jalonick, 11/14)
NBC News: ACA Subsidies: What The Government Shutdown's End Means For Health Insurance Premiums
The government shutdown has ended, but Senate Democrats didn’t get a key provision they were fighting for: extending the Obamacare tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. ... Open enrollment for 2026 coverage is well underway, and people who get their insurance through the Affordable Care Act have seen how much their costs will rise without the subsidies — many could see their monthly premiums double or even triple. Some may delay signing up, hoping lawmakers intervene before year’s end, while others could forgo coverage altogether. (Lovelace Jr. and Kapur, 11/13)
Politico: The White House Knows It Needs To Act On Health Care Affordability. Here’s What’s On The Table
President Donald Trump’s Domestic Policy Council and senior health officials have been meeting privately for preliminary conversations on how to address the expiration of health insurance tax credits, according to a White House official and another person familiar with the talks. Conversations about a White House alternative to Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will expire at year’s end, are in the “early ideation phase,” said a third person familiar with the talks. (Haslett, Messerly and Ward, 11/13)
Fierce Healthcare: Healthcare Orgs Press Lawmakers To Act Swiftly On ACA Subsidies
Now that the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has come to an end, healthcare organizations are urging lawmakers to act quickly to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. Charlene MacDonald, executive vice president for public affairs at the Federation of American Hospitals, said in a statement that extending the tax credits is "the only mechanism to immediately cut costs for hardworking families already struggling to make ends meet." (Minemyer, 11/13)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: The Government Is Open
The longest federal government shutdown in history is over, after a handful of House and Senate Democrats joined most Republicans in approving legislation that funds the government through January. Despite Democrats’ demands, the package did not include an extension of the expanded tax credits that help most Affordable Care Act enrollees afford their plans — meaning most people with ACA plans are slated to pay much more toward their premiums next year. (Huetteman, 11/13)
In other news from Congress —
NBC News: John Fetterman Hospitalized With 'Minor Injuries' After Fall Related To Heart Issue
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was hospitalized Thursday after falling near his Pennsylvania home and sustaining “minor injuries” to his face, the senator’s spokesperson said. Medical personnel determined that the incident, which included “feeling light-headed,” involved a flare-up of a cardiac issue known as ventricular fibrillation, the spokesperson said in a statement on X. (Shabad, 11/13)
