Senate may vote today on extending extra Medicaid funds

CongressDaily: "The Senate votes tonight on a cloture motion on a $26.1 billion domestic spending package that includes $10 billion in funding to avert teacher layoffs and $16.1 billion in Medicaid aid by extending Federal Medical Assistance Percentage reimbursements. That vote is a nod to House Democrats who are irked that senators stripped the funding from other bills and to governors who are lobbying for the funds" (Friedman, 8/2).

Politico: The White House is making a last-minute push for the amendment. "Last year's giant Recovery Act helped fill this gap, but as these stimulus funds run out, Democrats fear more state layoffs, beginning with teachers just months before November elections. ... The package, which has received little attention to date, was filed only last Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in what seemed more an effort then to disentangle the teacher-Medicaid issues from a small business bill, which the White House wants badly. Monday's vote to cut off debate will require 60 votes—a high bar to meet and one that will require Republican help" (Rogers, 8/2).

Inside Health Policy: "The provision are paid for -- through the closure of tax loopholes and rescission of unused federal funding -- but Reid's office says Democrats are still seeking Republican support and concedes that 'it will be a tough vote.' The provision that will be considered Monday would extend the FMAP funding originally authorized via the stimulus package an additional six months -- until June 30, 2011 -- but phased down gradually. The provision will cost $16 billion over 10 years" (Lotven, 7/30).

Meanwhile, states continue to wait.

Highlands Today: "Uncle Sam never said the check was in the mail, but Florida legislators are still waiting for about $1 billion in extra Medicaid money that's stalled in the U.S. Senate. … The federal government could still act, but State Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Lake Placid, doesn't anticipate that until after November. ... Earlier this year, Gov. Charlie Crist was so confident that Florida would get the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage money that he proposed it in his budget, Health News Florida reported… Lawmakers marked $230 million for hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, Bright Futures Scholarships, Everglades restoration and cancer research, contingent on the Medicaid money" (Pinnell, 8/2).

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "If passed, Wisconsin would receive an additional $180 million in education funding and $185 million for the state's Medicaid program. The potential shortfall in the state's health-care programs for the poor, elderly and disabled has grown to as much as $850 million in state and federal money, threatening to throw the entire state budget out of balance. The bill extension would provide an additional $185 million to Wisconsin's Medicaid program for the six months from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2011" (Jones, 8/1).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.