Reconciliation Update:
"Big, Beautiful” Bill Passes House
The House early Thursday morning passed its reconciliation bill in line with Speaker Johnson’s self-imposed deadline of passing a “big, beautiful bill” before Memorial Day. The process to pass the bill has been fairly unusual. It was under review, discussion, and up for amendments in the House Rules Committee, which began meeting at 1 AM Wednesday. Meanwhile, House Republicans continued to debate and negotiate certain provisions while also meeting with President Trump. Despite the last-minute discussions, the House passed the bill, which now moves onto the Senate.
What’s In the House Package
The House reconciliation bill includes a 10-year delay of the staffing mandate. It also puts a moratorium on current provider tax rates. Our understanding is that each state can keep its existing provider tax rate, but states will not be permitted to implement new increases to their current rates nor expand the categories of taxed entities to increase funds collected via these taxes. We are continuing to evaluate the potential implications.
What Happens Next: Contact Your Senators
The reconciliation bill now goes to the Senate. It is possible that the Senate will create its own version of the legislation. There are forces in the Senate that still desire to reduce provider tax limits, so our work is not done! We are already digging in on our outreach to key senators, and we need your help.
NOW is the time to contact your senators, especially if they are Republicans. We will be sending an action alert very soon with information on how you can easily do this. I know it’s a holiday weekend, but the Senate is on recess for the week and attending various events in-district. At the same time, staff will be moving forward on drafting their version of a reconciliation bill. We need you to email or call your senators and tell them to protect Medicaid for seniors, including provider taxes.
With your help, our advocacy efforts can help ensure there is no further harm to long term care. And while the next couple of weeks in the Senate will be critical, there is still a long way to go in the budget reconciliation process. Ultimately, both the House and Senate must agree on a final package. Until then, we must remain vigilant.
That’s why we’re so pleased a RECORD number of you are coming to Congressional Briefing in Washington, D.C. June 9-10. You’ll help tell lawmakers in-person how important Medicaid is for our sector. I look forward to seeing many of you there!
In the meantime, we will provide more details soon on how you can contact your senators and keep putting on the pressure. We will continue to fight the good fight.
Clifton J. Porter, II
President & CEO, AHCA/NCAL
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