Senate Democrats Rack Up Number Of Health Care Victories In Spending Bill

The New York Times: Senate Leaders Reach Deal To Raise Spending Over Two Years
Senate leaders struck a far-reaching bipartisan agreement on Wednesday that would add hundreds of billions of dollars to military and domestic programs over the next two years while raising the federal debt limit, moving to end the cycle of fiscal showdowns that have roiled the Capitol. The accord between Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, and Chuck Schumer of New York, his Democratic counterpart, would raise strict caps on military and domestic spending that were imposed in 2011 as part of a deal with President Barack Obama that was once seen as a key triumph for Republicans in Congress. (Kaplan, 2/7)

The Associated Press: Budget Agreement Adds Money For Defense, Infrastructure
Key aspects of the proposed budget agreement that covers the current fiscal year and the next. ... Extends the Children's Health Insurance Plan for 10 years, up from six years under a previous agreement. Includes an additional $6 billion for fighting opioid addiction and boosting mental health services, $4 billion to improve health care for veterans, $20 billion for infrastructure improvements and $2 billion to support additional research at the National Institutes of Health. (2/7)

The Washington Post: Sweeping Budget Deal Would More Than $500 Billion In Federal Spending, End Months Of Partisan Wrangling
Some of the funding is reserved for programs favored by lawmakers of both parties: research conducted by the National Institutes of Health, for instance, as well as transportation and water infrastructure. Also included are extensions of tax breaks that could add billions of dollars more to the cost of the bill. The Children’s Health Insurance Program would be extended through 2028, and the federal fund for community health centers would see a two-year extension. The bill also abolishes the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a body established in the 2010 Affordable Care Act with the power to reduce the payments Medicare makes to health providers. (DeBonis and Werner, 2/7)

The Hill: Senate Deal Would Fund Children's Health Insurance, Community Health Centers
A stopgap funding measure passed by Congress earlier this month only funded CHIP for six years, but the spending deal announced Wednesday would tack on another four years of funding. (Hellmann, 2/7)

The Hill: Budget Deal Includes $6 Billion To Fight Opioid Abuse 
A bipartisan Senate budget deal includes $6 billion for opioid addiction and mental health, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. Advocates have been calling for more funding to combat the increasing deaths from opioid overdoses, which are now killing more Americans than car accidents. (Roubein, 2/7)

Stat: NIH And Opioid Response Get Boost In Senate Budget Deal
The increase in NIH funding continues a trend of substantial budget increases for the agency over the last several years. In a budget request submitted last May, the White House proposed a 17 percent reduction in the 2018 NIH budget, and indicated support for a cap on the portion of agency grants that can be used toward research institutions’ infrastructure costs. Congress instead ignored the White House request, and raised planned spending on the NIH to $36.1 billion dollars. (Facher, 2/7)

Kaiser Health News: Bipartisan Senate Budget Deal Boosts Health Programs
Not in the deal, for which the path to the president’s desk remains unclear, is any bipartisan legislation aimed at shoring up the Affordable Care Act’s individual health insurance marketplaces. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) promised Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) a vote on health legislation in exchange for her vote for the GOP tax bill in December. So far, that vote has not materialized. (Rovner and Luthra, 2/7)

The Hill: Senate Dems Push For Expansion Of ObamaCare Subsidies In Deal
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is pushing for major changes to an agreement on an ObamaCare fix, including an expansion of subsidies under the health-care law. Murray, who is leading negotiations for Senate Democrats on the issue, wants to increase the ObamaCare tax credits that help people afford coverage, according to a Senate Democratic aide. That would be a significant expansion of ObamaCare that could help make premiums more affordable for many people. (Sullivan, 2/7)

Stat: Senate Budget Deal Puts Drug Makers On The Hook For More Costs
The budget deal announced in the Senate on Wednesday contained a provision surprising to drug companies and Medicare beneficiaries alike: a sooner-than-expected change to the program’s “donut hole” coverage gap. The provision included in the budget plan would mean a sizable hit to the pharmaceutical industry. It would move from 2020 to 2019 a requirement that drug makers pick up a larger portion of costs for their medicines for Part D beneficiaries who reach the so-called “donut hole” — a gap in Medicare coverage where beneficiaries often have to pay eye-watering drug prices out of pocket up to a certain dollar amount. (Facher and Silverman, 2/7)

Politico Pro: Pharma, Home Health Wind Up Losers In Senate Budget Deal
The Senate’s two-year budget deal is a virtual wish list for many health care interests, delivering billions of dollars for doctors and physical therapists, among others. But a few notable players got left behind.The pharmaceutical industry would be forced to pay 75 percent of the cost of drugs for seniors in Medicare’s coverage gap a year early. (Pittman, 2/8)

Modern Healthcare: Congress' New Spending Bill Includes Provision To Slow Down MIPS
Congress is seeking to slow federal efforts to hold providers accountable for saving Medicare money under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. While MIPS rewards or penalizes providers based on their performance, including reducing Medicare costs, the healthcare industry has claimed it was moving too fast and didn't give them time to learn the program's provisions. This year, cost-cutting will account for 10% of a provider's MIPS score. That would jump to 30% next year. But buried deep in the continuing resolution which passed the House 245-182 Tuesday, was language that proposed giving the CMS the choice to keep cost-cutting at 10% of their MIPS score through 2021. (Dickson, 2/7)

Modern Healthcare: Senate Reaches Spending Deal That Includes Opioid Funding, CHIP Extension
The Senate kept provisions that House Democrats didn't like including the cut to the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund in order to pay for the package. Other proposed savings include a revision of the physician fee schedule, a policy that extends hospital stays before a Medicare beneficiary is transferred to hospice, and a policy to block "artificial inflation" of star ratings of various Medicare Advantage plans in the case of insurers' consolidation. (Luthi, 2/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Congressional Leaders Say They Agree On Budget Deal
“This bill is the product of extensive negotiations among congressional leaders and the White House,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said on the Senate floor Wednesday in announcing the pact. “No one would suggest it is perfect, but we worked hard to find common ground.” “After months of legislative logjams, this budget deal is a genuine breakthrough,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said on the Senate floor. (Peterson and Hughes, 2/7)

Reuters: Congressional Leaders Forge Budget Deal That Adds To Deficit
The proposal will likely require the support of some Democrats if it is to pass the House. Some liberal Democrats opposed it because it does not include an agreement to protect from deportation hundreds of thousands of "Dreamers," young people brought illegally to the United States as children. In voicing her opposition, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi set the record for the longest continuous speech in House history, an eight-hour effort that included reading letters from Dreamers pleading to be allowed to stay in the United States. (Cowan and Becker, 2/7)

The Hill: Puerto Rico Rep.: Budget Deal Will Fully Fund Puerto Rico Medicaid For Two Years
Puerto Rico's representative in Congress said Wednesday that island's public health-care costs will be covered for two years as part of a proposed two-year budget deal announced in the Senate. Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón (R-P.R.) said in a statement on Facebook the proposal would inject $4.9 billion into Puerto Rico's health-care system, covering 100 percent of Medicaid costs during that period. (Bernal, 2/7)

PBS NewsHour: More Than 25 Million Americans Use Community Health Centers. Now They’re Caught Up In Congress’ Funding Fight
Six miles north, in Washington, D.C., Congress has been unable to agree on how to fund Neighborhood Health and the more than 10,400 other community clinics across the country. Combined, they provide health care services for more than 25 million people — one out of every 12 Americans — who have little to no insurance. It’s a population that since 2001 has risen 151 percent. (Santhanam, 2/7)