USDA Secretary Warns Funds For Food Stamps Will Run Out In Two Weeks
Nearly 42 million Americans will feel the effects of losing their monthly benefits after Congress couldn't reach an agreement on funding the government. November SNAP benefits also have been paused. Meanwhile, Congress has missed its window to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies without causing issues for states.
Roll Call:
USDA's Rollins Says Food Stamp Funding To Dry Up In Two Weeks
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday that the food stamp program will run out of funds in two weeks because of the partial government shutdown, potentially leaving nearly 42 million people without monthly benefits. (Bridges, 10/16)
Politico:
It’s ‘Too Late’ To Extend ACA Subsidies Without Major Disruptions, Some States And Lawmakers Say
Time is quickly running out to shield Obamacare customers from explosive sticker shock. State insurance officials are warning that the longer Congress waits to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which help low- and middle-income people afford premiums, the more difficult it will be to update rates before consumers start shopping for 2026 coverage on Nov. 1. (King and Hooper, 10/16)
Politico:
Republicans Again Find Themselves In An Obamacare Pickle
The ongoing debate over soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies has reopened an old wound for Republicans: What should they do about the health care law they have railed against for more than a decade but has now taken root with their own constituents? While some GOP hard-liners are again embracing repeal-and-replace rhetoric, the scars from the party’s failed attempt to undo the ACA in 2017 have left a broader swath of Republicans extremely wary of trying to rip out the law — even as they continue to criticize it. (Guggenheim, Carney and Hill, 10/17)
The Washington Post:
Health Care Premiums For Small Businesses And Their Employees Are In The Balance In Shutdown
They are restaurateurs and beauticians, landscapers and mediators, chiropractors and funeral directors. They are freelancers, contractors and gig workers. And they now find themselves stuck in the middle of the political battle that has shut down the government.At the core of the congressional stalemate is how much people should pay for their Affordable Care Act health policies, also known as Obamacare, and how much the government should pay in federal subsidies. (Whoriskey, 10/16)
AP:
Democrats Say Trump Should Be Involved In Shutdown Talks
President Donald Trump is showing little urgency to broker a compromise that would end the government shutdown, even as Democrats insist no breakthrough is possible without his direct involvement. Three weeks in, Congress is at a standstill. The House hasn’t been in session for a month, and senators left Washington on Thursday frustrated by the lack of progress. Republican leaders are refusing to negotiate until a short-term funding bill to reopen the government is passed, while Democrats say they won’t agree without guarantees on extending health insurance subsidies. For now, Trump appears content to stay on the sidelines. (Cappelletti and Min Kim, 10/17)
In related news about Medicaid cuts —
Modern Healthcare:
AEH's Jennifer DeCubellis Preps Members For Medicaid, ACA Cuts
America’s Essential Hospitals President and CEO Jennifer DeCubellis had no time to ease into her new role in September. The association and its nearly 400 members, a mix of urban safety-net hospitals and rural community hospitals, are facing steep federal funding cuts starting next year, plus ongoing economic pressures and right now a two-week government shutdown. DeCubellis said her role is to advocate for patients and support members as they respond to policy shifts. (Hudson, 10/16)
North Carolina Health News:
Medicaid Rate Cuts Criticized As NC Health Officials Defend ‘Difficult’ Decision
State health officials fielded questions and criticism from lawmakers on Tuesday about recently implemented cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates for health care providers. The cuts, which took effect Oct. 1, were made after the state Senate and House of Representatives reached a stalemate over Medicaid’s annual “rebase,” the amount of funding needed each year to cover changes in the number of people covered by the program and the cost of caring for them. (Baxley, 10/17)
KFF Health News:
States Jostle Over $50B Rural Health Fund As Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Trigger Scramble
Nationwide, states are racing to win their share of a new $50 billion rural health fund. But helping rural hospitals, as originally envisioned, is quickly becoming a quaint idea. Rather, states should submit applications that “rebuild and reshape” how health care is delivered in rural communities, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official Abe Sutton said late last month during a daylong meeting at Washington, D.C.’s Watergate Hotel. Simply changing the way government pays hospitals has been tried and has failed, Sutton told the audience of more than 40 governors’ office staffers and state health agency leaders — some from as far away as Hawaii. (Tribble, 10/17)
What the AMA says about Trump's policies —
Stat:
AMA President Defends Doctor Group's Response To Trump Policies
American Medical Association President Bobby Mukkamala defended the restrained advocacy strategy that the country’s largest professional medical organization has taken with the Trump administration, while playing up the alignment between federal health officials and the AMA on issues like prior authorization, as part of a Thursday conversation at the STAT Summit. (Gaffney, 10/16)
