Spread holiday cheer
Here's a collapsed spending deal
That's not what I meant
Publication Note: Congress is expected to wrap up its work for the year by the end of this week – so our newsletter will take a brief pause. We plan to resume our regular publication schedule the week of January 6th as the 119th Congress is officially sworn in. Please check our website for updates in the meantime!
It’s our privilege to have this space to engage with you each week. Thank you for reading – as well as for strengthening, inspiring, and sustaining our work and commitment to serve you, the institution, and our community.
We wish you all a safe and joyous holiday season.
The Rundown
- Government funding at risk as bipartisan deal falls apart
- Bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence releases report
- What’s up NC delegation?
- From our desks
- Join the Duke Health Advocacy Network!
Federal Updates
End of the year confusion as government funding deadline approaches
We’re guessing the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson (R-LA), is not yet in the holiday spirit as his bipartisan deal to fund the government through March fell apart on Wednesday, after President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance came out against it. Also tweeting against passage was Elon Musk. As the day progressed Wednesday, more and more Congressional Republicans came out against the agreement, calling for a streamlined Continuing Resolution (CR) without the additional provisions (discussed more below). In addition, Trump and Vance called for increasing the debt ceiling in the bill, which had not been part of the discussions.
How did it all unravel? On Tuesday night, Speaker Johnson had reached a deal with Democrats on a bill that would fund the government through mid-March, provide disaster aid, extend several health provisions, extend the farm bill, and get several outstanding bipartisan bills across the finish line. Other priorities for Duke Health were in the mix, including extending the Advance Payment Model Bonus at 3.5 percent, addressing cuts to physicians under the Physician Fee Schedule, and extending telehealth flexibilities for two years. The bill would have also reauthorized several bipartisan efforts including the Pandemic All Hazards Preparedness Act and legislation to strengthen substance use-disorder prevention and treatment (the SUPPORT Act). The Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act, which would establish a better process for enrolling qualifying out-of-state providers in Medicaid when treating out-of-state pediatric patients, was also set to advance as part of the bill. Disaster relief to support states impacted by hurricanes this year, including North Carolina, was also part of the package.
As mentioned above, the deal came to a halt on Wednesday, and the Speaker scrambled to find a path forward. On Thursday night, the House voted on a slimmed down CR, supported by Trump, that included just a few health extenders (including telehealth), extension of the Farm Bill, disaster relief, and suspending the debt ceiling for two years. The bill failed to pass the House.
At the time of this writing, the path forward is not clear and the clock on the current CR runs out at midnight tonight.
Our team recognizes the severity of what is at stake. Should a government shutdown become a reality, our office is available and prepared to answer questions or share resources from agencies about the impact. Generally, mandatory programs like Medicare and Medicaid are less impacted than discretionary programs like those at federal research agencies.
AI didn’t write this: Bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence report now available
On Wednesday, the Bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence released its report after nearly a year of effort and consultations with external stakeholders. The report includes 66 findings and 85 recommendations covering a range of issues across sectors, including government use of AI; data privacy; national security; research, development, and standards; civil rights and civil liberties; education and workforce; content authenticity; intellectual property; open and closed systems; energy usage and data centers; small business; agriculture; healthcare; and financial services. According to the report, “Congress should continue to support the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, and other science agencies that make grants to universities for AI R&D, including AI-enabled science in the STEM field.”
Regarding the healthcare recommendations, the Task Force emphasized that AI can be a powerful tool to help medical professionals do their jobs and spend more time with patients, but it cautioned against any efforts to use AI to replace medical professionals’ decision-making. The Task Force also cited AI’s ability to address administrative burden and physician burnout, and it called on lawmakers to look at managing risks associated with AI in health care, develop AI liability standards, and shift toward appropriate Medicare AI payment policies.
The Task Force was created by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in February 2024 and includes twenty-four members, twelve Republicans and twelve Democrats. Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04), who represents Duke University, Duke University Hospital, and Duke Regional Hospital, was selected by Democratic Leader Jeffries to serve as one of the Task Force’s Democratic members. It remains to be seen whether or not the Task Force will continue in the next Congress, but this report will be used to set the framework of any future AI policy discussions moving forward.
What’s up NC delegation?
With the 118th Congress coming to a close, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank members of the NC Congressional Delegation who will be retiring at the end of this Congress: Reps. Kathy Manning (D-NC-06), Dan Bishop (R-NC-08), Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10), Wiley Nickel (D-NC-13), and Jeff Jackson (D-NC-14). We’ve appreciated the opportunity to work with each of these offices on a variety of issues important to Duke Health and our community. Several of these members and their staff visited Duke Health locations across NC to get a firsthand account of the services we provide. We wish them the best in their next endeavors, and we look forward to building relationships with the new members and staff that will start in January.
From our desks
This week, our team joined Duke Health leadership in meetings with the mayor and senior leadership from the Town of Mooresville to discuss Duke Health’s signed agreement to acquire Lake Norman Regional Medical Center and our commitment to serving their community.
Our office met with staff for Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) to discuss outstanding priorities and working together in the new Congress. Our office also coordinated a letter to Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC-03) expressing appreciation for his introducing the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act and his efforts to ensure fair reimbursement for the vital care provided by physicians across North Carolina and the United States.
Join the Duke Health Advocacy Network!
Looking for more opportunities to connect with fellow advocates and professionals interested in public policy across the health system? Join the Duke Health Advocacy Teams Channel! We’re growing leaps and bounds and hope you’ll consider joining us!
Managed and moderated by Duke Health Government Relations and Duke State Relations, the purpose of the platform is for you to connect with your colleagues throughout the health system who are engaged and/or interested in public policy advocacy. We hope the channel will be used as a space for sharing ideas, collaboration, and engaging with the government relations teams on the issues most important to your work.
We encourage you to explore the channel, as we will post relevant news items, policy updates, questions, advocacy resources, and opportunities for engagement. As importantly, this is your space to do the same and to help grow the community.
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