Transcript What it Means for Health Care Alliance for Health Reform September 12, 2011 Katherine Hayes The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health.

What it Means for Health Care
Alliance for Health Reform
September 12, 2011
Katherine Hayes
The George Washington University
School of Public Health and Health Services
Department of Health Policy
Budget Control Act of 2011:
Overview
 Debt Ceiling
 Balanced Budget Amendment Vote
 Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
 Enforcement
 Sequestration (of discretionary spending in a given FY)
 Sequestration of up to $1.2 billion if no deficit reduction
enacted and revision of discretionary spending caps
 Education Provisions (not addressed today)
Debt Ceiling Increase:
Three-steps $2.1 (or up to $2.4 trillion)
 $400 billion – Presidential certification (August 2,
2011)
 $500 billion – 50 calendar days after initial certification
(September 21, 2011)
 $1.2 t0 $1.5 trillion
 $1.2 billion – $0 to 1.2 billion in deficit reduction enacted
 $1.2-1.5 billion – Actual deficit reduction amount
enacted
 $1.5 billion – Constitutional amendment on balanced
budget passes
Balanced Budget Amendment
 Congress must vote on a balanced budget amendment
to the Constitution
 September 30 – December 31, 2011
 If both Houses approve, debt ceiling can be increased
by $1.5 trillion
 Expedited procedures for 2nd chamber consideration
Limits on Discretionary Spending
 10 year “adjustable” statutory limits (appropriations
caps) for FY 2012-2021
 FY 2012 and FY 2013 - Equally split between
 Security (DoD, DHS, DVA, NNSA, intelligence,
international affairs)
 Non-security (everything else)
 FY 2014-2021 – no split between security and non-
security
 Enforcement
Annual Enforcement of
Discretionary Spending Caps
 15 days after end of a Congressional session
 If appropriations within a category is exceed,
sequestration is triggered in “nonexempt” accounts.
 President issues sequestration order within category
breached (security v. non-security) in FY 2012-13
 Congress can modify sequestration order (expedited
procedure)
Joint Select Committee on Deficit
Reduction
 Deficit reduction target of at least $1.5 trillion FY2012-
2021
 Expedited procedure for consideration of legislation (if
any) reported by Super Committee
 If no deficit reduction legislation enacted by January
15, 2011, (minimum of $1.2 trillion) automatic spending
reductions go into effect on January 2, 2013 (unless
there is intervening legislation).
Super Committee Deadlines
 August 16, 2011 – Appointment of Members
 September 16, 2011 – Committee must begin meeting
 October 14, 2011 – House and Senate Committees may
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make recommendations
November 23, 2011 – Committee must vote on proposed
deficit reduction legislation and report
December 2, 2011 – If adopted, transmit to President, VP
and House and Senate leaders
December 9, 2011 – Committees of jurisdiction report
December 23, 2011 – Final passage
January 15, 2012 – Sequestration fallback if no law enacted
January 31, 2012 – Committee dissolved
Joint Select Committee on Deficit
Reduction – House Members
 House
 Speaker Boehner (R-OH)
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Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) – Committee co-chair
Dave Camp (R-MI)
Fred Upton (R-MI)
 Minority Leader Pelosi
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Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Jim Clyburn (D-SC)
Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Joint Select Committee on Deficit
Reduction – Senate Members
 Senate
 Majority Leader Reid (D-NV)
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Patty Murray (D-WA) – Committee co-chair
Max Baucus (D-MT)
John Kerry (D-MA)
 Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY)
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Pat Toomey (R-PA)
John Kyl (R-AZ)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Deficit Reduction Fallback
 If Super Committee bill is passed by January 15, 2012:
 Automatic spending reductions of amount full $1.2
billion or any shortfall
 Discretionary caps revised: equally split between
security and non-security (note)
 Proportional division between discretionary and direct
spending
 Certain direct spending exempt or limited (Social
Security, Medicaid, and others, Medicare – 2%)
 Spending reductions beginning January 2, 2013