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Congress is at risk of missing two deadlines for health programs impacting millions of people, as funding is set to expire on Saturday. The House has yet to release a bill to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) just days before the deadline. The Senate has released a bipartisan five-year bill to reauthorize the program, but a vote hasn’t been scheduled. Separately, billions of dollars to fund community health centers — a safety net for 26 million people — are also up in the air. (Roubein, 9/27)

Minnesota health advocates are closely watching for signs of progress in Washington on programs that underwrite care for the uninsured and for low-income children. Unless reauthorized and funded, both are set to end on Saturday when the federal fiscal year ends. (Howatt, 9/28)

The Senate on Tuesday night unanimously passed a bill aimed at making Medicare more efficient and saving it money. The passage of the under-the-radar bipartisan health-care reforms came on the same day that Senate Republicans abandoned a vote on a bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare. (Sulivan, 9/27)

Democrats on Wednesday excoriated the GOP's proposed tax framework, saying it would blow an enormous hole in the deficit — warning that popular social programs are next. “Make no mistake: After [the] Republicans’ tax plan blows a multitrillion-dollar hole in the deficit, they will sharpen their knives for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and vital job-creating investments for middle-class families across America,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). (Elis, 9/27)