Article
Where things stand
The House passed a continuing resolution on July 21, by 220 to 205, that would fund the government through Dec. 4. The Senate passed its own version on Aug. 8, by 90 to 6, which runs through Dec. 11. The two bills are not identical, so they still have to be reconciled before either becomes law.
Neither bill extends the health care provisions that hospitals track each year. According to AHA News, those provisions do not expire until the end of December, which gave lawmakers room to leave them out of the summer funding fight. The Senate bill also delays a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule on federal financial assistance, which the AHA has criticized.
Separately, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson released a fiscal 2027 budget resolution on Aug. 7 that would start a third reconciliation bill. It instructs 11 committees to produce up to $150 billion by Sept. 11. No health committee received instructions. The House resolution, passed July 21, is narrower and aims at defense, farm aid and election-related items. Both chambers must adopt the same resolution before any reconciliation bill moves.
What it means for hospitals
The absence of health instructions is good news in the near term, since reconciliation has been the vehicle for large Medicaid changes. It does not remove the risk. Year-end extenders are now likely to ride on a December funding bill, and that bill could also carry offsets or policy riders that affect hospital payment.
The split deadlines also matter. If the House date of Dec. 4 prevails, the window between government funding and the expiration of health provisions shrinks. If Congress settles on Dec. 11, it leaves only a few legislative weeks before the holidays to address both.
Steps for the next 60 days
- Map exposure. List the year-end provisions that touch your organization and estimate the cash effect of a lapse for one quarter.
- Use the recess. Lawmakers are home until Congress returns in September. Invite them to see the services that depend on these provisions.
- Watch the reconciliation instructions. If a final budget resolution adds health committees, the scope of a third bill changes quickly.
- Prepare the board. Give trustees a short scenario page so a December lapse does not come as a surprise.
Archive entry for Aug 11, 2026, added Nov. 11, 2026.