Early this morning, Friday, February 9, the US Senate voted 71 – 28 to approve a budget proposal.  Subsequently, the House of Representatives passed by a 240 – 186 vote the budget package and President Trump has signed the bill into law.  The legislation reportedly:  (i) funds federal agencies until March 23; (ii) includes US$89.3 billion in disaster aid mostly for Texas, California, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; (iii) increases defense spending by US$80 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2018 and US$85 billion in FY 2019; (iv) increases domestic spending by US$63 billion in FY 2018 and US$68 billion in FY 2019; and (v) extends the government debt limit until March 2019.  The health care provisions reportedly include:  (i) extending funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for another four years through 2027; (ii) providing US$3.8 billion in FY 2018 and US$4 billion in FY 2019 for community health centers; (iii) eliminating the Medicare funding cap on physical therapy services; (iv) repealing the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB); and (v) requiring drug manufacturers beginning in 2019 to provide larger discounts to beneficiaries in the coverage gap (doughnut hole).  We will provide additional details once the legislation as enacted into law is available.