Newhouse Votes to Protect Central Washington Seniors

Press Release

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after voting to support H.R. 1868, "To prevent across-the-board direct spending cuts, and for other purposes:"

"Seniors should not have to pay for the far-left Democrats' incompetence. I voted for H.R. 1868 to ensure that their spending cuts would not negatively impact Central Washington's seniors and rural hospitals. Without congressional action, the COVID spending package would cut billions to our seniors on Medicare -- including $36 billion starting next year. Sadly, President Biden's $1.9 trillion debt-financed COVID package rewards the far-Left Democrats' special interests including billions to prisoners and illegal immigrants -- even as it calls for across-the-board spending cuts that negatively impact American seniors. Congress can and must do better."

Background:

H.R. 1868 exempts the budgetary effects of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and this bill from the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) and exempts this bill from the Senate PAYGO rule. The bill also continues to exempt Medicare from spending cuts until December 31, 2021.

The bill also specifically:

excludes mixed-earner unemployment compensation from Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility determinations; and
applies certain modified payment limits to rural health clinics that temporarily enrolled in Medicare during the public health emergency or that applied to enroll by December 31, 2020.

Source