118th Congress Wraps Up

Congress has five days to complete remaining business before the December 20 government funding deadline. It is still expected that the government will be funded via a short-term continuing resolution (CR) into March 2025. Other policies are likely to be attached to the CR, including disaster relief, an extension of the Farm Bill, and a healthcare package that includes extenders, offsets, and additional polices. In the past week, we’ve seen the health committee staffs negotiating what the healthcare package could look like.

Over the weekend, it became clear that the package was likely to be more expansive than simply extending expiring health provisions, as debates on non-healthcare provisions created time for healthcare committees to continue working toward a more significant package. Final decisions about including it lie in leadership’s hands. At the time of this publication, we have not seen what is officially in the package. It appears likely that extenders will be extended for at least one year, some potentially for two or more years. Other policies that could be part of the package include Medicare Advantage prior authorization reform, pharmacy benefit manager reforms, and a limited Medicare site-neutral payment policy.

Leadership must release text for the CR by Monday evening in order to meet the 72-hour rule that provides members time to review a bill’s contents before voting. With that timeline, the House could vote on Thursday, and the Senate on Friday. The CR is likely to be passed in the House through suspension, requiring a two-thirds majority, so bipartisan agreement is necessary.

Today’s Podcast

In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Julia Grabo to discuss the healthcare package that could be included in a short-term continuing resolution and what that means for health policy in 2025.