The Senate voted 51-47 on March 29 to approve the supplemental spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan, which contains a two-year moratorium on a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed rule cutting Medicaid payments by nearly $4 billion. The provision also would prevent CMS from working on any rules related to eliminating payments for graduate medical education under the Medicaid program.
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), who offered the moratorium in committee, on March 28 spoke on the Senate floor to defend its inclusion in the underlying bill. The bill must be reconciled with a House-passed version of the spending bill that does not include the moratorium language. Should the legislation be successfully conferenced, however, the president has indicated he will veto the bill.
[ via AHA News Now ]
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