Congress passed just 31 bills that became law in 2023, a record low in modern times, Spectrum News reported Dec. 21.
The 118th Congress — whose session runs from Jan. 3, 2023, to Jan. 3, 2025 — is well behind the pace of recent congresses. Its predecessor passed 365 bills that became law over their two-year session, according to data compiled by govtrack.us. The 116th passed 344 bills that became law and the 115th passed 443.
Of the nine most recent congresses preceding the current session, the 112th (Jan. 5, 2011, to Jan. 3, 2013) had the fewest bills that became law with 284.
The House and Senate are not scheduled to return until the second week of January, according to the report. When they return, they face a looming government shutdown. President Joe Biden in November signed a stopgap funding bill that funds four federal agencies until Jan. 19 and the rest until Feb. 2.
Here's what that bill meant for healthcare:
- Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals cuts are delayed through Jan. 19.
- It extends authorizations for health centers, the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education until Jan. 19.
- It delays cuts to the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule that were set to take effect Jan. 1.
- It extends the physician payment work Geographic Practice Cost Indices floor for 2024.