Healthcare Leaders Call for Immediate Bipartisan Action on Spending Measure to Fund Children’s Health Insurance, Delay Medical Device and Health Insurance Taxes

HLC President Grealy:  Provisions to Benefit American Families, Improve Healthcare Affordability and Innovation Warrant Overwhelming Support

WASHINGTON – An organization comprised of leaders from all sectors of American healthcare today called upon Congress to enact a continuing resolution that, in addition to keeping government funded for roughly a month, includes an urgently-needed six-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and suspends implementation of medical device and health insurance taxes.

The continuing resolution is currently awaiting action on Capitol Hill with a January 19 government shutdown looming.  Mary R. Grealy, president of the Healthcare Leadership Council, said the healthcare provisions in the measure warrant strong bipartisan support.

“Democrats and Republicans agree that CHIP reauthorization has languished for too long.  Parents should not have to worry that their children will lose health coverage,” she said.  “Those concerns should be put to rest this week with decisive action to extend a program that has always enjoyed bipartisan support.”

Ms. Grealy emphasized that Congress must suspend the implementation of the federal medical device excise tax, which without action will require a payment in 12 days, and the health insurance tax – both for 2018 and 2019 — as a precursor to full elimination.

“With the previous delays on these taxes having expired and implementation being renewed in 2018, it is imperative that lawmakers act now to prevent unnecessary increases in health insurance premium costs, job losses in the medical technology sector, and an undermining of medical innovation,” Ms. Grealy said.