On February 6, 2018, the House voted 242-182 to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend government funding until March 23, 2018 (H.R. Res 128). The CR includes provisions to extend funding for a number of Medicare extenders and public health programs, including community health centers. The legislation also incorporates provisions from several Medicare bills that have previously passed out of the House or Senate, including the CHRONIC Care Act and the Medicare Part B Improvement Act. Finally, the legislation would eliminate the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) reductions scheduled for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and 2019 under current law, while adding further reductions in later years. The package is fully paid for with several health-related fiscal offsets.
In the final vote in the House, 228 Republicans and 17 Democrats voted in favor, while eight Republicans and 174 Democrats voted in opposition. Moving forward, the legislation's prospects in the Senate remain uncertain, primarily because the CR provides for a full year funding for the Department of Defense, while funding non-defense programs only until March 23, 2018. In addition, immigration issues are not addressed in this CR, which may complicate matters further. Congress must extend government funding by February 8, 2018 to avert another federal government shutdown.