How health leaders react to the government closure

After the Congress did not adopt a financing bill, the government closed on Wednesday morning, which has important implications for health care, in particular the coverage of the future of flexibilities of tele -health and the Act respecting affordable care (ACA).

The judgment sparked high reactions to the scale of the health care community. USA family patient defense group, for example, criticized Congress managers for not having extended the tax credits for improved ACA bonuses.

These improved subsidies (which should expire at the end of the year) were introduced in 2021 and reduced monthly premiums for those who buy market coverage. Subsidies are a key snack between Democrats and Republicans, Democrats calling for an extension, while Republicans say that negotiations should occur after the approval of funding.

“We should not need a closure to prevent a massive peak in health insurance premiums. After an election on affordability, republican leaders betray their own voters with their desire to close the government to avoid extending tax credits which help more than 20 million Americans in the working class to allow themselves health care, “said Anthony Wright, Executive Director of USA families. “When the Republicans of Congress have adopted huge permanent tax credits for billionaires and large companies this summer, they blocked several attempts and amendments to also extend the tax credits which help families of workers to pay their health insurance premiums.”

According to KFF, if the improved subsidies expire, the payments of bonuses in pockets would increase by 114%, compared to $ 888 on average in 2025 to $ 1,904 in 2026.

Another key problem with the closure is the expiration of flexibilities of Medicare tele -any, which expired on Tuesday and will remain expired unless the congress includes them in the next financing bill. The flexibilities introduced during the COVVI-19 pandemic extended the eligibility for health insurance to virtual care, who had previously limited themselves to patients in rural areas and required them to be in an approved original site, such as a hospital or a doctor’s office. Now that flexibilities have expired, coverage of Medicare TV will return to its pre-pale requirements.

The American Telemedicine Association calls Trump and the Congress to restore these flexibilities and retroactively reimburse suppliers always offering remote services during the closure.

“Most suppliers and hospital systems take calculated risks to continue care during this period, but long-term continuity depends on the action of our champions of tele-for Washington to restore these flexibilities and ensure retroactive reimbursement,” said Kyle Zebley, Executive Director of Action ATA and Main Vice-President of ATA public policies. “Medicare patients woke up this morning without a remote channel for the first time from the pandemic five years ago. Our health services regress, fall terribly short for millions of patients in need. ”

A framework of a brain health company also expressed its concern about the uncertainty of flexibilities of Medicare tele -ante.

“Most likely TV services will be extended, but we receive many questions both from our employees and our patients on where they are,” said Dr. Julius Bruch, co-founder and CEO of Isaac Health. “In an area such as dementia care, where there are already so few neurologists, and not enough to take care of the aging population, telehealth does wonders to increase access, and the potential of this disappearance could be harmful not only to patients with dementia, but to their caregivers and other relatives.”

Another follower of the industry is concerned about how closure will affect those which depend on the programs funded by the government, such as the additional nutritional aid program (SNAP).

“If this closure lasts more than a month, which is a possibility given that the last closure was 34 days, those who knew food insecurity across the country can see a period of benefits, because government funding for the program will only last into a month. From Pyx Health, an engagement company.

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