Sustaining Excellence in Medicaid Act of 2019
Public Law 116-39 · H.R. 3253 · 116th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Aug 6, 2019 · Health
Sponsor: Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12)
Cosponsors (9): Rep. Brett Guthrie, Rep. Frank Pallone,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Sustaining Excellence in Medicaid Act of 2019
This bill extends several health care programs and requirements and revises certain Medicare drug payment methodologies.
(Sec. 2) The bill temporarily extends the Medicaid demonstration program for certified community behavioral health clinics.
(Sec. 3) The bill also temporarily extends the applicability of Medicaid eligibility criteria that protect against spousal impoverishment for recipients of home- and community-based services.
(Sec. 4) The bill increases appropriations for FY2019 for the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program. (Under this program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may award grants to state Medicaid programs to assist states in increasing the use of home and community care for long-term care and decreasing the use of institutional care.)
(Sec. 5) Additionally, the bill extends the Family-to-Family Health Information Centers Program, which is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The program awards grants to family-run organizations to support the provision of information and peer support to families of children with special health care needs.
(Sec. 6) Finally, the bill provides statutory authority for a Medicare payment methodology that applies an add-on payment of up to 3% for new drugs or biologics (furnished on or after January 1, 2019) when the average sales price is unavailable and payment is instead based on the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC). (Effective January 1, 2019, the CMS reduced the WAC add-on payment in such situations from 6% to 3%.)
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
5 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 233Related bill
Medicaid Patient Abuse Prevention Act
H.R. 1342Related bill
EMPOWER Care Act
H.R. 3276Related bill
Fair AMP Act
S. 548Related bill
EMPOWER Care Act
S. 2379Related bill
Medicaid Patient Abuse Prevention Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Aug 6, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-39.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 1, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 30, 2019Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Ms. Norton asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's Table and agree to the Senate amendment.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Jul 25, 2019FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Jun 19, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Jun 18, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 371 - 46 (Roll no. 333).House roll call 333
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3253.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mrs. Dingell moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jun 13, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 930SenateSen. Roy BluntR-MO· offered Jul 25, 2019Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Jul 25, 2019: Amendment SA 930 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.