House Poised To Pass Bill Blocking Reform Law Implementation Funds

As early as next week, House lawmakers are expected to pass to pass legislation (HR 6020) that would prohibit HHS from transferring money to the Internal Revenue Service to implement and enforce the federal health reform law, The Hill's "Floor Action Blog" reports.

According to "Floor Action Blog," the move appears to be "especially timely" because of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to redefine the penalty under the law's individual mandate as a tax. Based on that ruling, Republicans have targeted their opposition to the overhaul on the basis that the mandate is an allowable tax.

HR 6020, a fiscal year 2013 financial services spending bill, was approved by the House Committee on Appropriations last week. It does not include an additional $1 billion that the Obama administration requested to fund the IRS' health reform law implementation plans.

A House Appropriations Committee report accompanying the bill notes that HHS in 2010 allocated $20 million to the IRS for enforcing the law "without the committee's knowledge." In 2011, the IRS received $168 million from HHS and is slated to receive an additional $322 million in 2012, according to the report (Kasperowicz, "Floor Action Blog," The Hill, 7/2).