FY18 Appropriations

House: Next week, the full House of Representatives will take up a FY18 funding package that includes the Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) bill that was passed out of committee earlier this summer.  As a reminder, this bill keeps funding for the Division of STD Prevention level to FY17 levels.  The House hopes to pass a full 12-bill FY18 Omnibus package by the end of next week, but there are a number of hurdles that cast doubt on that feasibility. Even if the House is able to do so, that package will go nowhere in the Senate.  (The current versions of the House Appropriations bills violate the defense budget caps currently in law to the tune of $72 billion.)

Senate: On Wednesday, September 6 the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Subcommittee (LHHS) will markup its FY18 appropriations bill.  Then on Thursday, September 7 there will be a full Appropriations Committee markup of the same bill. As a reminder, this is the bill that covers the funding for the CDC.  We are cautiously optimistic  that, similar to the House, the Senate will level-fund STD prevention funding to FY17 levels.  We will send additional information next week when we know more.

While both chambers will be very busy debating funding levels– particularly in wake of Hurricane Harvey– Congress will likely pass a short-term continuing resolution in September to give them past the end of the fiscal year to work on FY18 appropriations bills.

ACA Repair Legislation

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) will be holding a series of committee hearings on the topic of “Stabilizing Premiums and Helping Individuals in the Individual Insurance Market for 2018.” Hearings will be held on September 6, 7, 12 and 14, and feature State Insurance Commissions, Governors, State Flexibility, and Health Care Stakeholders.  More information regarding these hearings can be found on the HELP Committee website. These are the beginning hearings that will lay the ground work for any possible ACA-repair legislation, which would (as the HELP hearing titles suggest) likely focus on the individual insurance market and stabilizing premiums.