Senate Committee Passes Economic Stimulus Bill Without Medicaid Funding Increase

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 01 Feb 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday voted 14-7 to approve a $157 billion economic stimulus package that does not include additional funds for states' Medicaid programs, CongressDaily reports (Cohn, CongressDaily, 1/30). Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) was expected to offer an amendment to the package during a Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday that would have temporarily increased the federal medical assistance percentage for Medicaid (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 1/30). However, the Medicaid and other amendments "were not offered in deference to" Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) "desires to keep the bill from getting loaded up," CongressDaily reports. The stimulus package now moves to the Senate floor (CongressDaily, 1/30).

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