Congress passes stopgap to fund HHS, FDA until March
The Senate and House on Thursday advanced legislation to avert a partial government shutdown before a Friday deadline, with funding for key health agencies set through early March.
Under the continuing resolution (CR), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Veterans Affairs are both funded until March 1. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will have funding up until March 8.
The Thursday vote was moved up after votes for Friday were cancelled due to expected snowfall in D.C.
The CR also delays cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments, which were initially scheduled to take place on Jan. 30 but will now happen on March 9.
State Medicaid programs are required by federal law to issue DSH payments to qualifying hospitals that serve a high degree of Medicaid and uninsured patients.
These funds were scheduled to be cut by $8 billion annually beginning in 2024 through to 2027. The cuts were initially called for by the Affordable Care Act but have been continually bumped by Congress.
Funding was also extended through March 8 for child and family welfare programs and for community health centers. Community health center funding was set to expire tomorrow.
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
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