Budget Reconciliation Deal Reached; Excludes HCBS Funding

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that he and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) have reached a deal on the budget reconciliation bill. The bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, will allow the federal government to negotiate the price of prescription drugs through Medicare, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years, invest approximately $300 billion in deficit reduction and provide $369 billion for energy security and climate change.   

Unfortunately, funding for the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program is not currently included in the bill. The bill now sits with the Senate Parliamentarian to determine which provisions are allowed under the Byrd Rule, which prohibits non-budgetary provisions from being included in budget reconciliation bills. If the Parliamentarian finds changes must be made to the legislation, there is a potential for additional funds to be freed up and made available for other policy priorities like HCBS. ANCOR continues to monitor the process closely and is actively in conversation with our congressional champions to leverage any and all potential opportunities to get HCBS funding added to the legislation.