When the 116th Congress convened in January, it ushered in a dramatic shift in political dynamics. For the first time in eight years, Democrats have a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. With Republicans still in control of the U.S. Senate, the two chambers of Congress will be divided for at least the next two years.

Under split-party control, legislation will require bipartisan support in order to pass. The need for this agreement greatly, if temporarily, blunts the acute legislative threats to Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that dominated the last Congress.

With extensive program overhauls unlikely to succeed this year, we expect lawmakers to instead focus on areas of shared consensus and concern. This includes “must-pass” items, like expiring health care programs, as well as those that are a top priority for both chambers, such as high prescription drug prices.

The Medicare Rights Center recently responded to a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would, in part, allow Part D and Medicare Advantage (MA) prescription drug plans greater flexibility in managing their formularies.

According to CMS, the proposed policies are intended to “remove administrative hurdles to offer lower cost options to seniors and provide support for private sector partners by providing them the tools to lower the cost of prescription drugs.”

While we agree with the need to address high and rising drug prices, we strongly disagree with the agency’s proposed approach, which seeks to do so by weakening the protected classes protections and permitting step therapy for Part B drug coverage. Such changes have the dangerous potential to disrupt or even end access to some medications for people with Medicare.

While Medicare Part D has made prescription drugs more affordable for people with Medicare, many beneficiaries continue to face affordability challenges, in part because there is no hard cap on out-of-pocket spending under Part D. A new resource from the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the financial burden this places on Part D enrollees who rely on high-cost medications.

As the government shutdown continues, so do its impacts on older adults, people with disabilities, and their families. While Medicare and Medicaid are fully funded for the year, other critical programs—like affordable housing, food assistance, and transportation services—are not. This threatens the health and economic security of millions of Americans.

In November, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed regulatory changes to the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces. We submitted comments this week, in which we raise concerns with several aspects of the proposed rule that could have negative implications for people with Medicare.

CMS indicates it is proposing this rule in part to ensure that people are in the “most appropriate type of coverage.” While Medicare Rights supports this goal, we disagree with the agency’s proposal to achieve it by automatically terminating Marketplace coverage for people who are eligible for or enrolled in Medicare Part A.

Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Dear State Medicaid Director letter highlighting ten opportunities for states to better serve individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

Medicaid is an important source of coverage for nearly 12 million people with Medicare. It covers needed services that Medicare does not, such as long-term care. Medicaid also helps make Medicare more affordable by helping pay Medicare premiums and/or cost-sharing, which can be high for people with low incomes.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the IMPROVE Act (H.R. 7217), which extends two critical Medicaid programs for older adults and people with disabilities. The U.S. Senate is expected to approve the bill before adjourning for the year.

First authorized in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the Medicaid Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program (MFP) officially launched in 2007. Since then, it has helped over 88,000 older adults and people with disabilities transition from nursing and other facilities back to the community, and it has consistently been a cost-effective, successful program. According to independent, national evaluations MFP participants who have transitioned to community-based settings experience lasting improvements in quality of life, and they also decrease their overall Medicare and Medicaid expenditures by roughly 23%, generating considerable cost savings for the programs.

Earlier this month, the Medicare Rights Center and the Center for Medicare Advocacy sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing concerns with some of the agency’s Fall Open Enrollment education and outreach materials. These materials seem to promote Medicare Advantage (MA) over Original Medicare.

This week, lawmakers returned to Washington for the “lame duck” session, where they face a variety of issues to resolve before the end of the year. A lame duck session occurs when Congress reconvenes after an election, and is a reference to the outgoing members who still have voting powers.

The lame duck outlook for health care programs is somewhat uncertain, but lawmakers will have several opportunities to protect and strengthen programs for older adults and people with disabilities. In the coming days, we’ll be asking Congress to prioritize Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act.

The 2018 midterm elections mean big changes are coming to Washington. When the 116th Congress convenes in January, it will be a divided one: Republicans will continue to control the Senate, but Democrats will have a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years.

With split-party control, any legislation will require bipartisan support in order to pass. The need for such consensus greatly decreases the likelihood that radical, disruptive bills will reach the President’s desk in the coming years, and effectively eliminates the acute threats to Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that have dominated congressional conversations since 2017.