Hello All,
We are getting a lot of questions about the budget deal that is working its way through Congress today. Our colleague, Marci Phillips, prepared this summary for us as things stand today.
The two-year budget deal is the legislative package we've been saying is needed for final FY18 funding legislation to move forward. It raises the budget caps that are keeping spending at a low level, and has
resulted in some of the proposed cuts we've seen in draft appropriations bills, like the proposed SHIP cut.
This deal still has a few hurdles - it's moving along with a larger package (that also includes the MIPPA extension), and it needs to pass the Senate, then pass the House, and then signed by the President. There are controversial elements in the House version
that the Senate is working on adding this deal to, and it remains to be seen whether the Senate fixes some of those controversies.
The package has yet another continuing resolution (CR) attached to it, to keep the government open once the current one expires on Feb. 8.This newest CR will likely run through
March 22 or 23 to give time for the next big step.
Once the deal to raise the caps is adopted (fingers crossed), then appropriators will write the final FY18 bills. It's that legislative package that will fund SHIP, and hopefully at least level funding. That'll take a little time - maybe until mid-March. Then
that big package has the same House-Senate-President hurdles.
It's progress, but we still have a little way to go to say how SHIP funding is faring and when it might be finalized.
As noted above, the Medicare extenders package includes funding of MIPPA through FY19.
I hope that helps answer some questions.
Leslie
Leslie Fried, JD
Senior Director, Center for Benefits Access
Office: 571.527.3992
National Council on Aging
Improving the lives of millions of older adults
251 18th Street South, Suite 500
Arlington, VA 22202
ncoa.org | @NCOAging