Health Policy Digest - December 2025

We are pleased to present the December issue of the ARN Health Policy Digest. This member benefit provides updates on health policy and legislative and regulatory developments that may be of interest to rehabilitation nurses. 

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution to Reopen the Government

​On November 12, the House voted to pass the continuing resolution (CR) put forth by the Senate that extends government funding until January 30. The CR passed the House with a vote of 222-209 with six Democrats joining the House Republicans to vote in favor of the bill, while two Republicans voted against it. The CR passed the Senate with a vote of 60-40 with eight Democrats joining the Senate Republicans. The votes came 43 days after the start of the government shutdown, making it the longest government shutdown in history.

This CR included a three-bill minibus package of three full year FY 2026 appropriations bills, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Military Construction, the Legislative Branch, and the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. The passage of these three funding bills ensures their funding for the next fiscal year. Congress will continue to work on passing the rest of the appropriations bills before the end of January when funding will run out again.

Of interest to ARN members, the CR includes an extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities and retroactive payment for telehealth claims that occurred during the shutdown. The CR did not contain any language on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax subsidies, but with the passage of the CR, Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised to hold a vote on these provisions during the month of December. Without any action on the expiring ACA subsidies, insurance premiums are expected to rise by 114% in 2026. The Senate, House and White House all have their own plan for how to move forward with a solution to the expiring subsidies however, there seems to be bipartisan support for an extension.

Senators Show Support for Traumatic Brain Injury by Introducing Reauthorization Bill​

Senators Makrwayne Mullin (R-OK), Andy Kim (D-NJ), John Cornyn (R-TX), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) recently introduced the Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S.2898) to provide reauthorization for TBI programs through 2030. These reauthorizations include funding TBI State Partnership Grants at $7.3 million, TBI State Protection and Advocacy Systems Grants at $2.5 million, and the CDC TBI Program at $11.75 million. The bill continues the tradition of authorization that started in 1996 when the Traumatic Brain Injury Act was first passed, authorizing federal funding for TBI programs. There is also a companion bill in the House that was introduced earlier this year.  

HHS Repeals Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities

​On December 2, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) repealed provisions of the Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting Final Rule that was finalized under the Biden Administration in 2024. This rule established a federal requirement that nursing homes participating in Medicare or Medicaid provide residents with a minimum of 3.48 hours of nursing care per day with specific hours of care from nursing aides and registered nurses. Additionally, this rule required a registered nurse to be on site at all times. Many rural, underserved, and tribal communities voiced concerns about the original rule, putting additional strain on the existing health care workforce shortage.

Nursing Excluded from Definition of Professional Degree 

​The Department of Education's Reimaging and Improving Student Education (RISE) committee released provisions related to the definition of professional degree in the context of borrowing limits for student loans. The RISE committee proposed the definition of professional degree program does not classify nursing as a professional degree, therefore nursing programs such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and research-focused nursing PhD are not included in the category. This means they will have capped loans which will not cover the entire cost of the program making obtaining advanced nursing degrees more challenging. These provisions are expected to be included in an upcoming proposed rule for the Department of Education.

Notice of Funding Opportunities 

• ​NINR Mentoring Resources and Activities (FOR-NR-25-003)
• Limited Competition: Community-Partnered Nursing Research Centers for Schools and Colleges for Nursing with Limited NIH Funding (P20 Clinical Trial Optional) (FOR-NR-25-006)
• Leveraging Nursing Research to Advance Healthy School Environments for All (FOR-NR-25-002)
• Advancing Nutrition-related Research Across the Lifespan (FOR-NR-25-001)
• Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools (FOR-PAR-25-420)
• Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes and Reduce Health Disparities in Rural Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (FOR-NR-25-007)
• Limited Competition: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Postdoctoral Research Training Grant for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program (T32 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-25-195)
• Community Partnered Nursing Research Centers (P20 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-25-439)