House Passes Medicaid Extenders Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate approved Medicaid extensions in the last session, in separate measures that were never reconciled or signed into law, reports Politico Pro . The Senate in December folded the extenders into a continuing resolution that has been delayed by the fracas over border wall funding. The Medicaid bill features an almost three-month extension of spousal impoverishment rules to allow married couples to guard certain assets while seeking Medicaid coverage for home- and community-based services. It also allocates $112 million for an approximately three-month extension of the Money Follows the Person demonstration program to assist state Medicaid programs in transitioning older adults and people with chronic illnesses back into their communities. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said their bill will "give the committee time to work on a long-term solution."