2/8/2018

BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/POLITICS: “In a rare show of congressional cooperation, Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate announced a two-year budget deal Wednesday [2-7-18] that would increase federal spending for defense as well as key domestic priorities, including many 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 hasn’t materialized.
The deal does appear to include almost every other health priority Democrats have been pushing the past several months, including two years of renewed funding for community health centers and a series of other health programs Congress failed to provide for before they technically expired last year… Senate leaders are still negotiating details of the accord, including the size of a cut to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which would help offset the costs of this legislation.”

-Julie Rovner and Shefali Luthra, “Senate Budget Deal Would Give A Boost To Health Programs,” NPR, Feb. 8, 2018 09:28am