Healthcare Issuewatch Newsletter

View in your browser     Children's health funding in the balance By Peter Sullivan Funding for the federal government was up in the air Friday afternoon — as well as help for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Republicans are pressuring Democrats to support a short-term funding bill that includes a six-year extension of CHIP, touting the program's importance for children. But Democrats say Republicans attached CHIP as a political ploy, and should have extended the program months ago. Senate Democrats are also threatening to reject the short-term spending measure unless they get assurances on a fix for protecting young immigrants, known as Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. The standoff has Washington on the brink of a shutdown at midnight Friday with a number of health care related issues unresolved. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicare and Medicaid Services, which helps oversee the children's health program, has said they can only guarantee funds through Jan. 19 without additional action from Congress. It is unclear when the first state will actually start to run out of money, though. The fate of the government spending bill also will determine whether a range of ObamaCare taxes get delayed. The bill includes delays of the medical device tax and Cadillac tax on high-cost health insurance plans for two years, as well as a one-year lifting of the Health Insurance Tax in 2019. Other healthcare issues will have to wait for a long-term government funding deal to be reached. Those include a possible drug pricing measure that could be included to help pay for a deal to lift budget caps. The most likely measure, known as the CREATES Act, is intended to prevent branded drug companies from using tactics to delay competition from cheaper generic drugs. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are also still pushing to get a pair of bipartisan measures aimed at providing funding to stabilize ObamaCare markets passed. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alexander's partner on one of the bills, is calling for changes, though, but has not yet said what those changes are. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), meanwhile has expressed some openness to something along the lines of the second of the two bills, from Collins and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), which would provide funding known as reinsurance aimed at bringing down premiums. Both bills face resistance from conservatives, though, so their fate is in doubt. Recent stories Top Dem presses Trump health official on potential ethics violation Trump to propose major cut to anti-drug office: report Trump pushes Senate to vote on 20-week abortion ban Trump administration rescinds guidance on defunding Planned Parenthood House creates criminal penalties for doctors who don't protect abortion survivors Trump administration creates new moral, religious protections for health workers Trump admin delays spark fear for family planning groups over funding Opponents urge Congress to suspend ObamaCare tax this year Senate Dems push for health center funding in spending bill Senate panel advances Trump's nominee for health secretary     Send tips and comments to Jessie Hellmann, jhellmann@thehill.com; Peter Sullivan, psullivan@thehill.com; Rachel Roubein, rroubein@thehill.com; and Nathaniel Weixel, nweixel@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @jessiehellmann, @PeterSullivan4, @rachel_roubein, and @NateWeixel.         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Healthcare Newsletters     Forward Healthcare Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.