Once again this week, the Senate will try to break gridlock on a package that would extend long term jobless benefits, approve a series of expired tax breaks and pass certain tax increases.
Depending on your point of view, chances got better or worse late last week because of some deal-making in the U.S. Senate.
The deal covered what's known as the "Doc Fix", which governs the payment rates for doctors who perform services for Medicare patients.
Because of inaction by the Congress, the rates that doctors can be reimbursed dropped by 21% last Friday.
This deal holds off on that reduction through November 30 of this year. The "cost" of that move is $6.5 billion. Why does it cost money?
Because by holding off on the 21% reduction in Medicare payments to doctors, less money will be staying in the federal Treasury than originally envisioned.
So, how would this $6.5 billion be paid for? This Senate bipartisan deal includes about 70 pages of completely technical items labeled "pension funding relief" which I couldn't describe to you without an advanced degree in Legislative Hieryoglyphics.
There is also a $4.2 billion hospital payment provision that includes an effort to root out Medicare providers who are making a buck off of patients, but who also owe Uncle Sam back taxes.
If you would like to try to decipher some of the specifics, you can do it at http://is.gd/cWFuA .
The plan was part of the Democratic package that included an extension in long term jobless benefits, the renewal of expiring tax breaks known as the "tax extenders" and other tax increases on hedge funds and on the oil industry.
It's not clear if taking the Doc Fix out of that plan will mean an easier road ahead for the tax extenders/jobless benefits bill, or if it might actually get tougher.
And there is no guarantee the House will accept this temporary Doc Fix plan, which will have to be renewed at some point before the year is over.
Since Mid-February, other than work on health care and Wall Street Reform, this issue of jobless benefits, tax extenders and other related items has been on the floor almost every week that the Senate has been in session.
And Senators are no closer to a long term deal on these issues than they were back when the first big snow hit Washington, D.C. in early February.
Welcome to Summer 2010.
Once again this week, the Senate will try to break gridlock on a package that would extend long term jobless benefits, approve a series of expired tax breaks and pass certain tax increases. Depending on your point of view, chances got better or worse late last week because of ...
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