Home Health & Hospice Week

The Senate’s version of an Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill has failed to pass the Senate, but keep your eyes on Washington to see what lawmakers may still have in store for you.

Reminder: In early May, the American Health Care Act passed narrowly in the House of Representatives (see Eli’s HCW, Vol. XXVI, No. 24). But the Senate didn’t do the same with its own version, the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BRCA), which was pulled on July 18 after a lack of votes and confidence in the bill.

Despite leaving Medicare intact, the unpopular bill drastically cut Medicaid. For home care providers, that would mean a major reduction to Medicaid home care funding, industry representatives expected.

Reps including the National Association for Home Care & Hospice urged lawmakers to avoid cuts to desperately needed home care funding at the state level.

The American Medical Association congratulated those on the front lines for being part of the debate on healthcare and urged Congressional leaders to work together on future endeavors. “Congress must begin a collaborative process that produces a bipartisan approach to improve healthcare in our country,” said AMA President David O. Barbe in a release about the failed bill.

But keep an eye out for similar legislation going forward. “I believe we must continue to push forward now,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) in a prepared statement about pulling the bill. And after GOP senators met with President Trump July 19, he indicated to the press they would resume work on the effort.