The Senate has passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that will fund the government through the end of fiscal year 2014.
The bill appropriates part of the budget specified in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which provides $63 billion in sequestration relief — split evenly between defense and nondefense programs — by increasing discretionary spending limits in FY 2014 and 2015.
Although the legislation restores funding for many agencies to pre-sequestration levels, healthcare will still see cuts. The measure includes a $1 billion cut for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health fund and a $10 million reduction for the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a Medicare cost-control panel established by the reform law.
Furthermore, the legislation appropriates $3.7 billion for CMS management and operations, the same amount established by sequestration cuts. And although the bill increases National Institutes of Health funding by $1 billion, the agency's overall funding level will be $700 million short of pre-sequestration levels.
The bill now moves to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it by tomorrow, according to a report from The Washington Post.
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