Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Health Provisions in Six-Month Continuing Resolution

As you will be aware, the House Appropriations Committee filed the six-month continuing resolution (through September 30) early this morning.  Text is available here, and a list of discretionary program reductions outlined by the Appropriations Committee is available here. (The Rules Committee also posted the text of two separate enrolling resolutions related to health care; summaries of those provisions will be sent under separate cover.)  House floor action is expected as soon as tomorrow, with the Senate expected to follow thereafter.

Unfortunately, CBO scoring estimates, including “runs” providing budget authority figures, are not yet available (other than the list of program reductions provided by the Appropriations Committee, and linked to above).  Below is a summary of the health care policy-related changes included in the CR.

Provisions related to the Department of Health and Human Services can be found on pages 311-324 and 337-342 of the text posted online.  (As usual, Food and Drug Administration funding is included in the Agriculture Department appropriations title, pages 191-95, and Indian Health Service funding is included in the Interior appropriations title, page 300.)  However, a BIG caveat for those reading through the CR text itself: Section 1119 provides for a 0.2 percent across-the-board rescission of budget authority for ALL discretionary appropriations, applying to “each discretionary account” and “each program, project, and activity.”  In other words, the discretionary account figures included in the text of the Labor-HHS title do NOT represent the final budgetary authority given – so don’t forget to read the bill with that in mind.

We will have more information on both policy and process as it becomes available.

 

Prevention “Slush Fund”:  Section 1855 requires that all money transferred from the Prevention and Public Health Fund established in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to discretionary accounts (e.g., Centers for Disease Control, HRSA, etc.) comply with Section 503 of Division D of P.L. 111-117, which prohibits funds from being used “for publicity or propaganda purposes.”

GAO and Related Audits:  Section 1856 calls for several audits related to provisions included in PPACA:

  • A GAO report listing contracts, outside firms, and consultants used to implement new authorities provided by PPACA, due within 90 days of enactment;
  • A GAO report auditing “requests for administrative waiver of the annual limit requirements” under PPACA, including “an analysis of the number of approvals and denials of such requests and the reasons for such approval or denial,” due within 60 days of enactment;
  • A report by the Medicare actuary, due within 90 days of enactment, containing “an estimate of the impact of the guaranteed issue, guaranteed renewal, and community rating requirements…on premiums for individuals and families with employer-sponsored health insurance.  Such estimate shall cover the 10-year period beginning with 2014 and shall include an estimate of the number of such individuals and families who will experience a premium increase as a result of such requirements and the number of such individuals and families who will experience a premium decrease as a result of such requirements.”
  • A GAO report “that includes the results of an audit of expenditures made for comparative effectiveness research funds” in the “stimulus” or PPACA, due within 60 days of enactment.

Co-Op Rescission:  Section 1857 rescinds $2.2 billion of the $6 billion in start-up funding provided for the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (Co-Op) program created under Section 1322 of PPACA.

Free Choice Program:  Section 1858 repeals Section 10108 of PPACA, which provided for “free choice” vouchers for workers whose employer-provided health insurance premiums cost between 8 percent and 9.8 percent of family income.

Performance Bonuses:  Section 1859 rescinds $3.5 billion in performance bonus payments authorized in the 2009 SCHIP reauthorization (P.L. 111-3).  The program provides for bonuses for states that increase their Medicaid enrollment above threshold levels while engaging in at least five enrollment and retention provisions specified in the statute.  In 2009, the Congressional Budget Office scored the performance bonus provisions as costing $4.4 billion over the 2009-2019 budget window in its estimate of the SCHIP legislation as enacted.