The U.S. House passed Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) budget bill Tuesday. It is the critical first step for passing the massive fiscal agenda that Johnson and Pres. Trump have championed — though there are still more hurdles to clear. The vote was 217-215, with just one Republican — Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) — voting no and Democrats unified in opposition. Earlier Tuesday, Trump appeared to walk back his endorsement of the House budget by saying he is also considering the narrower version the Senate advanced last week. Johnson will also have to continue contending with right-wing hardliners in his conference, just a handful of whom can tank any party-line vote. Source: Axios

Representative Nancy Guenst has reintroduced legislation, HB 739, to grant full practice authority to nurse practitioners (NPs), increasing access to care for the people of Pennsylvania. The PACHC Board of Directors voted to support this legislation. Rep. Tarik Khan (D-Philadelphia), who is a Nurse Practitioner at Family Practice and Counseling Network, is a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reduced funding to $10 million nationally for the 2026 Navigator Program for states using the federally facilitated marketplace, Healthcare.gov. A unanimous, bipartisan effort by the PA Legislature in 2019 moved Pennsylvania away from the federally facilitated marketplace, Healthcare.gov, to a state-based exchange, Pennie. This shields Pennsylvania from these cuts and from the ebbs and flows of federal funding fluctuations. It has allowed Pennsylvania to take control of operations and customer services at a significantly lower cost and use the financial savings to launch a reimbursement program to lower premiums. See the CMS Press Release.

Income, assets and household size determine eligibility for some Medicaid and Medicare programs. The Pennsylvania Health Law Project (PHLP) has a resource library with helpful guides to assist consumers with enrollment into the Medicare Savings Program, Part D Extra Help, Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities and other programs.

HHS recently released the HIPAA Security Rule to Strengthen Cybersecurity of Electronic Protected Health Information (PHI). The proposed rule attempts to address cybersecurity best practices, methodologies, and guidelines that would significantly impact Community Health Centers. Please view the recording and PowerPoint slides from NACHC’s February webinar on the proposed rule to learn more. We will circulate a comment letter template on Friday, Feb. 28, so FQHCs can tailor their feedback and ensure their voice is heard. The deadline for comments is Friday, March 7. To help us craft a strong comment letter, please send your thoughts and feedback on the proposed rule to regulatoryaffairs@nachc.org.

House Republicans released a budget blueprint that orders the primary healthcare committee to slash spending by $880 billion. The Budget Committee draft is the first step in an expedited process known as budget reconciliation that Republicans are using to extend tax cuts from Pres. Donald Trump’s first term, as well as to fund border security, energy and defense initiatives. The budget resolution does not spell out how the Energy and Commerce Committee must find $880 billion in spending cuts over the next decade. But Medicare and Medicaid are by far the largest programs under its jurisdiction, and Trump has repeatedly vowed not to touch Medicare as he seeks to renew tax cuts for corporations and wealthy households that are due to expire at the end of the year. Source: NBC News

Pennsylvania Govern Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional freeze of federal funding. Even after multiple court orders to release the federal funds and Gov. Shapiro’s engagement with Pennsylvania’s federal representatives, state agencies still remain entirely unable to access $1.2 billion in federal funding, with an additional $900 million requiring an undefined review by federal agencies before it can be drawn down. To ensure the interests of the commonwealth and its residents are protected, Gov. Shapiro is taking legal action to restore access to this funding.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated information on vaccine payment policies for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Effective January 1, 2025, CMS Hepatitis B vaccines are paid like other Part B preventive vaccines. New claim-based payments for Part B preventive vaccines and their administration are effective July 1, 2025. RHCs and FQHCs will need to annually reconcile payments with the facilities’ actual vaccine and vaccine administration costs on their cost reports. Get more information from CMS.gov.