The Week in Review
Congress enjoyed the second week of its two-week recess for the Easter and Passover holidays. Spending negotiations remained in the headlines as lawmakers planned for a funding bill to govern federal spending for the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year, and both parties prepared to battle over the decision of whether to include allocation for Affordable Care Act (ACA) cost-sharing subsidies. The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) met to review their June report to Congress, particularly their recommendation on State contingency plans should Congress fail to reallocate funding for the CHIP program. Furthermore, HHS Secretary Tom Price announced Wednesday how much states will receive in grants to help combat opioid abuse of the available $485 million in federal funding.