President Obama has signed a law to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling without making any changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Despite Republican demands to defund the healthcare reform law, the final agreement to end the shutdown only has one provision pertaining to the PPACA. The measure — which funds the government through Jan. 15 and raises the debt ceiling through Feb. 7 — states HHS must issue reports to ensure the agency is meeting the reform law's requirements for verifying people's income and eligibility for subsidies to purchase health plans through the exchanges.
Congress passed the proposal after weeks of debate, with conservative lawmakers demanding any spending measure include provisions to defund the PPACA. Republicans also put forth plans to repeal the law's medical device tax and delay the individual mandate by one year.
Senate leaders crafted the final agreement, which contained none of the PPACA-related provisions House Republicans fought to include. Lawmakers approved the legislation just before today's deadline to raise the country's $16.7 trillion debt ceiling.
More Articles on the Government Shutdown:
Senators Present Plan to End Shutdown With Minimal PPACA Changes
House Republicans Delay Vote on Proposal to End Shutdown
Developing Senate Budget Proposal Has Low Impact for PPACA