The House Energy & Commerce Committee has advanced a reconciliation bill containing four proposals championed by Representative Gus Bilirakis. The legislation aims to streamline government spending, foster innovation, and protect Medicaid for vulnerable populations.
A key provision, the LIVE Beneficiaries Act, authored by Bilirakis, requires states to conduct quarterly certifications of Medicaid recipient eligibility, ensuring that payments are not being made on behalf of deceased individuals. This measure comes in response to an audit revealing $249 million in improper payments across just 14 states in a single year.
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The reconciliation package also includes measures to prevent beneficiaries from being enrolled in Medicaid in multiple states simultaneously and to exclude individuals residing in the country illegally from Medicaid eligibility.
“I’m proud of the common-sense approach we’ve put forth to achieve significant savings while preserving benefits and access to care for our most vulnerable individuals,” stated Congressman Bilirakis. “We have a responsibility to ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely and that includes protecting access to healthcare for low-income children, seniors, pregnant women, and those with disabilities. Instead, we will disallow duplicative reimbursement, payments for deceased individuals, and coverage for illegal aliens. In doing so – we will strengthen and preserve Medicaid for generations to come while helping to restore fiscal responsibility.”
As Chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Technology Subcommittee, Bilirakis also spearheaded a provision establishing a 10-year moratorium on state and local regulation of AI models. This measure seeks to prevent a fragmented regulatory landscape that could hinder AI innovation in the United States.
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“Harnessing the potential of AI is not just an opportunity for the United States, it’s an absolute necessity to secure economic leadership, strengthen national security, and ensure that American values shape the future of this transformative technology,” said Chairman Bilirakis. “We must prevent a fragmented patchwork of rules from each state that could stifle innovation, confuse compliance, and undermine the creation of effective, nationwide standards that protect both progress and the public. The moratorium included in this package enables us to achieve that goal.”
Furthermore, two measures co-authored by Bilirakis, designed to assist rare disease patients, were included in the package. The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act aims to streamline the process for out-of-state pediatric care providers to enroll in other states’ Medicaid programs, facilitating access to specialized care for children with complex medical needs.
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The Orphan CURES Act seeks to accelerate the development of treatments for rare diseases by extending incentives, currently available for drugs treating a single rare disease, to those treating multiple rare diseases. This measure addresses a disincentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in research for treatments that could benefit a wider range of rare disease patients.
“Including these two critical provisions in the reconciliation package is a huge win for the rare disease community,” said Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Co-Chair of the Rare Disease Caucus. “My colleagues and I will continue to work toward advancing the development of treatments and cures for rare disease patients and removing regulatory barriers that prevent patients from accessing care.”
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