Shutdown Continues into the Weekend. The Senate remains in a stalemate on a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government. Sixty votes are needed on a procedural motion before the CR itself can be voted on, meaning Democrats would need to join Republicans in voting for the motion. Democratic leadership continues to push for a deal on the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, but it is possible more moderate Democrats could peel away and provide their “yes” vote with smaller concessions. In the meantime, many health extenders including telehealth and Hospital-at-Home have expired. The Administration retains some flexibility on claims processing and has directed a 10-day hold on claims to avoid reprocessing in the event of an extension. A4H will keep members informed with the latest information as we have it.

House Innovation Caucus Launches. Led by Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), lawmakers re-launched the bipartisan House Innovation Caucus in late September. A4H continues to work closely with the Caucus, focused on promoting innovation across the health care system.

HHS Mission-Critical Activities Continue. Per HHS guidance, about 59 percent of the agency’s employees will continue to work during the government shutdown. About 53 percent of staff at CMS will continue to work, and activities supporting Medicare, including claims processing, will continue during a lapse in government funding. Other programs that will continue include payments to eligible states for CHIP, Federal Marketplace activities including eligibility verification, fraud and abuse activities for CMMI, and Medicaid activities. However, policy and rulemaking, Medicare contract oversight, outreach and education, and beneficiary casework will cease during the shutdown. CMS has clarified work will continue on the RHT Program during the shutdown.

United States of Care: RHT Program Explainer. United States of Care published a four-page explainer on the Rural Health Transformation Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The explainer breaks down who is eligible to apply for funding, key considerations for states’ applications, program goals and uses for the funding, how grants will be funded, key dates and deadlines, and a comprehensive overview of how CMS will calculate the “workload funding” component used to award the 50 percent of the funding available at CMS’ discretion.

Congressional Briefing on Kidney Care, October 21. Join Accountable for Health (A4H) and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) for a hill briefing with experts in health care, policy, and patient advocacy on “Improving Kidney Care with Innovative Payment and Delivery Models.” This session will include conversations about the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) and the Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting (CKCC) model to improve health outcomes and lower costs. The briefing will be held at the Rayburn Building, Room 2060 from 12pm to 1pm.