House leaders posted a 1,547-page package of bills on their website Tuesday.
More than 274 of the pages in the Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2025 package affect Medicare and other programs for older adults.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is eager to get the package approved, because it would provide about $100 billion in disaster aid for communities hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton, keep the government operating until March 14 and extend many federal health program arrangements. Under current law, the government is set to start to shut down Friday.
Some groups are objecting over proposals they support being left out.
The Regulatory Relief Coalition, for example, is noting that the version posted Tuesday leaves out any efforts to change Medicare Advantage plan prior authorization rules.
"Our nation's seniors have been counting on Congress to act to restore their timely access to medically necessary health care," the coalition said. "Unfortunately, this Congress is failing them by putting aside smart policy in favor of political bickering."
A few hours after the original publication time for this article, President-elect Donald Trump objected to the spending package and may have stopped it from moving forward. Whether Congress will find a way to prevent a partial government shutdown is unclear, and the ultimate effect of the new negotiations on what will or won't get through Congress is also unclear.
Many of the provisions that are still in the package could have a big impact on clients ages 65 and older, and they could still become law, either through the spending package or through some other route.
For a look at seven, see the gallery accompanying this article.
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