By Anastasia - Admin on September 25, 2024
Category: Rehab Nursing Specialty

ARN Health Policy Digest - September 2024

We are pleased to present the September 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.

Updates on FY 2025 Appropriations 

Congress is back in session after a long August recess. Before recessing in advance of the November election, there is one major item on their to-do list – pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government beyond the September 30 fiscal year deadline and through the election.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) put forth a proposed six-month CR that would include the SAVE Act, a controversial piece of legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. However, pushback from several House Republicans and opposition from House Democrats will prevent the bill from being passed on the House floor. Additionally, this plan is a non-starter for Senate Democrats and the White House.

Instead, there is support from Democrats in both chambers and many Senate Republicans for a three-month clean CR that would extend government funding through the election and allow lawmakers to work out final spending levels in the lame duck session. At press time, this plan has not been introduced. Therefore, the urgency remains with a potential government shutdown looming, and bipartisan cooperation will be essential to reaching a timely resolution. 

Nursing Staff Mandate 

Congress is gearing up for a busy lame duck session with numerous competing health priorities aside from government funding. Members of Congress are essentially looking under the couch cushions for offsets to pay for many of these health priorities. Specifically, the nursing staffing rule, finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year, is being eyed as a $22 billion offset as it will save money by fully blocking or delaying CMS' implementation of the staffing mandate. The rule has already faced legal hurdles and has been scrutinized by members of Congress arguing that the mandate is unfeasible due to the nationwide staffing shortages and won't solve workforce or quality problems and will instead force rural nursing homes to shut their doors. While the Biden administration will likely not support an appeal, they may be willing to support an implementation delay although it is unclear how much savings this would provide.

Saying Goodbye to a Champion for People with TBI

ARN was saddened learn about the recent passing of Representative Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ-09). In 1996, Rep. Pascrell was elected to Congress and since then he continuously served the people of New Jersey's 9th district. Rep. Pascrell was a champion for people with traumatic brain injuries, most recently sponsoring the Dennis John Beningo Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization. Rep. Pascrell co-founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in 2001. Members of this task force have succeeded in increasing brain injury awareness and continue to work secure funding for research for rehabilitation and potential cures. Rep. Pascrell also worked on securing funding for programs at the Department of Defense that support research and treatment of brain injuries such as the Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence.

Through his unwavering advocacy, Rep. Pascrell made a lasting impact on the brain injury community, and his legacy of support will be evident for years to come. You can read more about Rep. Pascrell here.

House Passes Reauthorization of the TBI Program

On Tuesday, September 17, the House voted to unanimously pass the Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 7208/ S. 4755), reintroduced by the late Rep. Pascrell. As a reminder, the TBI Act is the only federal law that specifically addresses issues faced by approximately 5.3 million American children and adults with long-term, severe disability as a result of TBI each year. The legislation reauthorizes the program for five fiscal years from 2025 through 2029 which will enable the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue to provide funding to states for brain injury patients to access treatment and rehabilitation programs. ARN along with countless TBI advocates hope the Senate will pass this legislation as soon as possible and send this critical legislation to the President's desk before the end of the year. ARN members can take action now by urging their Senators to support this legislation to provide the necessary funding needed to develop research and improve the lives of individuals with traumatic brain injury and their families.

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