If Democrats in the Senate continue to block a short-term government funding plan, a program that allows low-income patients to be treated at home rather than in a hospital will expire, the White House warns.
The Acute Hospital Care at Home Initiative enables hospitals to obtain approval to treat Medicare patients with conditions such as respiratory diseases or bacterial infections at home. The program, which was rolled out during the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to expire on September 30 unless reauthorized by Congress.
Around 1,200 Medicare patients per month currently benefit from the program, according to information provided to The Daily Wire by the Office of Management and Budget. The program has been well-received by both patients and healthcare providers, according to evaluations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“Democrats are trying to shut down the government to pacify their base, and they don’t care who they hurt in the process — including home health beneficiaries,” a Trump administration official told The Daily Wire. “This program has been a success and is popular with patients and providers.”
“While Republicans voted to extend it, Democrats are more than happy to harm these patients and force them out of their homes so that they can shut the government down,” the administration official added.
The program was included in the short-term spending package passed by the House last week, which continues federal spending as is for seven weeks. However, Democrats are blocking the same bill from passing in the Senate.
As of Friday, 48,955 patients have benefited from the program, and 419 hospitals across 39 states have approved participation in the program, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
Commonly treated conditions under the program include heart failure, blood poisoning, respiratory disease, pneumonia, bacterial infection, urinary tract infection, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Early evaluation of the program indicates generally lower mortality and readmission rates for patients treated at home.
If a shutdown occurs, the Office of Management and Budget has directed federal agencies to prepare for permanent reduction-in-force plans, indicating that widespread firings could be forthcoming across the federal government. President Donald Trump has said that the Democrats are holding the funding hostage by trying to force taxpayer funding for illegal alien healthcare and transgender surgeries on children.