On March 25, 2015, the House of Representatives approved (with no Democratic votes) H.Con.Res. 27, a budget resolution providing instructions to Congressional committees on the federal spending framework for FY 2016. Among other things, the resolution calls for repealing the ACA “in its entirety,” transforming Medicare into a premium-support program, and replacing the ACA Medicaid expansion with “State Flexibility Funds” to support state Medicaid reforms. The Senate approved a separate budget resolution, S.Con.Res. 11, on March 26 (also with no Democratic support). The Senate version would also repeal the ACA, but would not make structural reforms to Medicare (Committees would be directed to achieve more than $400 billion in unspecified Medicare savings over 10 years, the same level included in the President’s proposed FY 2016 budget). While the budget resolutions are intended to guide Congressional budget activities in the coming year, they do not actually effect policy changes; any subsequent legislation in conformance with the resolution would be subject to future Congressional debate (and potentially Presidential veto).
This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.