What We're Reading: Bipartisan Health Vote; Individual Mandate; CHIP Patches

McConnell May Hold ACA Health Vote

The bipartisan deal to stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may get a vote. The New York Times reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, indicated that he would be willing to bring the proposal to the floor for debate and a vote. However, McConnell wants to know that the president supports the bill and will sign it into law if it lands on his desk. The deal has support from lawmakers in both parties and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has indicated that the deal has a majority.

IRS Still Enforcing Individual Mandate

Not only are senators working to stabilize the law, but the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is still enforcing one of the most controversial aspects of it. Despite what the president has said, the IRS has said it will still enforce a tax penalty on people who do not have health insurance. On his first day in office, the president had signed an executive order instructing agencies to scale back the regulations of the ACA. However, the IRS is still operating under the rules of the ACA.

Rolling Back Children’s Coverage

With no new funding authorized for the Children’s Heath Insurance Programs, states are facing the difficult decision to roll back coverage. Politico reported that states are so far relying on short-term patches, but 6 states and the District of Columbia will quickly run out of funding by the end of the year. If the funding runs out, many enrollees would be moved over to Medicaid, but some will be at risk of losing coverage altogether.