Congress passes resolution to fund government to Feb. 18; CR does not include relief from pending Medicare cuts

The House and Senate last night passed a continuing resolution to extend funding for federal programs through Feb. 18, avoiding a government shutdown when the current CR expires tonight. The measure does not extend the moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts or prevent the statutory Pay-As-You-Go sequester from taking effect. 

In a statement shared with the media yesterday, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said, “It is extremely unfortunate that Congress did not address pending significant Medicare reductions to hospitals and physicians in legislation funding the federal government. As hospitals and physicians continue their almost two-year battle against COVID on behalf of patients across the country, including the recent disturbing news about the Omicron variant, now is not the time to impose additional financial hardship. It would be an outrage to not protect the very caregivers who are fighting this relentless virus every day. Congress and the Administration must now act quickly to remove the uncertainty these cuts are creating in order to stop this potential threat to the patients and communities we serve.”