President Joe Biden has signed a stopgap funding bill that will delay a potential government shutdown until early 2024, NPR reported Nov. 17.
The spending bill funds four federal agencies until Jan. 19 and the rest until Feb. 2, according to the report. The stopgap bill gives Congress more time to negotiate long-term spending bills. A previous stopgap funding bill was set to expire Nov. 17 without the passage of new legislation.
Here is what the bill means for healthcare:
- Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals cuts are delayed through Jan. 19.
- It extends authorizations for health centers, the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education until Jan. 19.
- It delays cuts to the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule that were set to take effect Jan. 1.
- It extends the physician payment work Geographic Practice Cost Indices floor for 2024.