If Congress chose to do nothing other than what it absolutely has to address, it would have three very consuming legislative policy issues on its plate in 2017: the various User Fee Acts (UFAs) reauthorization, the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the expiration of the Medicare outpatient therapy caps exceptions. We will touch on all three issues below, as they will certainly be addressed in some form or fashion in 2017, but the Affordable Care Act (ACA) stands atop the health care agenda for the incoming administration and a GOPcontrolled Congress is eager to initiate what has become its holy grail – repeal of the ACA.

The first step in this process was passage of S.Con.Res. 3, a budget resolution last week by the House and Senate which included reconciliation instructions targeting the ACA.