The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution that continues government funding through March 23 and includes full-year funding for the Department of Defense with a significant pay raise for our troops.
The measure also extends and makes permanent improvements to health programs that enjoy strong bipartisan support:
- Permanent Medicare Improvements – permanent repeal of Medicare payment cap for therapy services; permanent removal of the rental cap for durable medical equipment under Medicare with respect to speech-generating devices; a permanent extension of Special Needs Plans in Medicare Advantage.
- 2-Year Extension of Important Medicare Policies – provides an extension of the work Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) floor which boosts payments for the work component of physician fees in areas where labor cost is lower than the national average.
- 5-Year Extension of Medicare Policies with Reforms – long-term extension coupled with policy changes to improve Medicare efficiencies, including a 5-year extension of the Home Health rural add-on payment, and ground ambulance add-ons.
- 2-Year Extension of Community Health Center Funding – funds Community Health Center Fund which provides comprehensive health services to medically underserved populations. One in 13 people nationwide relies on a health center for their health needs.
- 2-Year Extension of Important Public Health Programs – includes the National Health Service Corps, Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education, Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program, and the Personal Responsibility Education Program.
- Averts FY2018 and FY2019 Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Reductions – eliminates the $5 billion reductions included in the ACA.
Congressman Higgins issued the following statement:
“My colleagues across the aisle are once again threatening to shut down the government while they continue their fight to give illegal immigrants blanket amnesty. That posture is wrong. We are subject to the will of the American citizenry, not the citizens of the entire world. House Republicans are working to rebuild America’s military might and deliver pay raises for our men and women in uniform.”
