On Aug. 2, 2011, President Obama signed legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling while making significant spending cuts to reduce future deficits. In a victory for the safety net, the legislation includes no immediate cuts to Medicare or Medicaid. In addition, The Medicaid program is now exempt from across-the-board cuts which will be enacted as the joint "super committee" was unable to agree on how to achieve savings in the federal budget. However, Medicaid may continue to be a target as Congress continues to tackle the issue of the federal debt and deficit. More information about the deficit reduction legislation, along with talking points for NAPH members, can be found below.