Congress Struggles to Deal with Extenders and Jobs Bills - April 13, 2010

Partisan rancor over federal spending is delaying debate on jobs creation legislation, including a six month extension of enhanced federal Medicaid payments to states – an NAPH priority. Before recessing for two weeks, the Senate failed to pass a short term extenders bill which extends unemployment insurance, COBRA benefits and the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate payment fix for physicians through the end of April. On Monday, April 12, four Republicans joined the Democrats on a vote to end a Republican filibuster of the short term bill. Congress is expected to finish the short term extender bill before taking up a more comprehensive jobs creation legislation which includes extenders of the previously mentioned programs and a six-month extension in enhanced federal funding for Medicaid (FMAP), though June 30, 2011. On April 8, at NAPH’s urging, the Partnership for Medicaid – a coalition of safety net providers – sent a letter to Congress urging immediate action on extending the enhanced FMAP. The letter highlights the precarious budget situation in many states and the timetable of many state legislatures which are preparing to finalize their budgets this month.