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The U.S. House Passes Budget Resolution
After canceling then rescheduling the debate and vote for the House Budget Resolution, Speaker Mike Johnson with the help of President Trump was able to ease concerns for the few Republicans who planned to vote against the resolution. The budget ended up passing in a vote of 217 to 215, with one sole Republican Thomas Massie (R-KY-4) voted with the Democrats to oppose the bill citing concerns about the deficit only growing rather than shrinking. The House Resolution required more efforts due to the concerns around the direction for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to find $880 billion in spending cuts – largely believed to impact the Medicaid program. However, the budget resolution itself is expected to add $2.3 trillion to the deficit by 2034.
The Senate Budget Resolution passed earlier last week did not focus on cuts, but rather spending for enhanced security for border protections. Now the House and Senate leadership will go through rounds of negotiations to come to a final reconciliation package that can pass both chambers and go to the President for signature.
LeadingAge Kansas has spoken with each federal delegation from Kansas citing concerns around cuts to Medicaid, bond exemptions, nonprofit status, and rules and regulations. We’ll continue to monitor and reach out as conversations progress.
Bill Reintroduced to Halt Federal Staffing Mandate
Representative Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) led the February 13 introduction of the Protecting American Seniors Access to Care Act (H.R. 1303), a bill to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from implementing, administering, or enforcing provisions of the federal minimum staffing rule for nursing homes. Representative Fischbach’s bill is being co-led by Representatives Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Erin Houchin (R-IN), and Buddy Carter (R-GA), who serves as the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. LeadingAge and LeadingAge Minnesota both worked with Representative Fischbach’s staff on the bill’s re-introduction this Congress and were included in Representative Fischbach’s press release, along with local providers of long-term care.
“Ensuring quality nursing home care is our nonprofit and mission-driven nursing home members’ top priority. While staffing–without question–is critical to the achievement of that goal, the federal nursing home staffing mandate is not the answer. We appreciate that Representatives Fischbach, Carter, Houchin, and Moran recognize the rule’s fundamental challenges and are leading the charge to halt its implementation,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including nursing homes.
“This misguided CMS regulation fails to account for the persistent workforce shortages facing America’s aging services providers. Setting unrealistic staffing levels without acknowledging and providing for the timely investments needed to recruit and retain enough direct care workers to fill open positions is simply bad policy. What’s more, it will result in unintended and undesirable consequences: forcing many of our nonprofit and mission-driven members to reduce admissions, take beds offline, or even close their doors for good, further reducing access to care.”
LeadingAge and its state partners will continue advocating for the repeal of the federal staffing mandate, including through the budget reconciliation process currently being advanced through Congress.
LeadingAge: Do Right by Older Adults
On February 25, LeadingAge sent letters to three committees that will receive budget reconciliation instructions if Congress is able to agree to a fiscal year 2025 budget resolution. The reconciliation process presents tremendous threats and opportunities for older adults and the providers who serve them. In the letters, LeadingAge urges the committees to do right by older adults when considering how to respond to any budget reconciliation instructions they may receive. While several committees will receive reconciliation instructions, these three committees will have the responsibility to respond to House and Senate Budget Committees with recommendations regarding Medicaid, tax exempt municipal bonds, issues impacting nonprofits, the CMS minimum staffing rule, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Read the letters here.
LeadingAge One-Pager Explains MA Flex Card Impacts on Income Calculations
Following much LeadingAge Advocacy in 2024, several federal agencies issued policy clarifications about how Medicare Advantage plan supplemental benefits, delivered through flexible benefit cards, should be treated when determining an individual’s eligibility for certain government assistance programs. LeadingAge has summarized this agency-by-agency guidance in a one-page flex card reference resource.
Weekly Recaps: February 26, 2025
- Home Health Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Home Health Weekly Recap.
- Hospice Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Hospice Weekly Recap.
- Life Plan Community Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly LPC Weekly Recap.
- Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap.
- Nursing Home Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Nursing Home Weekly Recap.
- Affordable Housing Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Affordable Housing Weekly Recap.
