Congress passes FMAP extension

[Beetwasher]

WASHINGTON – Despite a bitter partisan battle over federal spending, Congress has passed a six-month, $16.1 billion extension to federal matching funds for Medicaid.

The FMAP extension was passed last week by the Senate and on Tuesday by the House as part of H.R. 1586, an amendment to the Teacher Jobs and State Fiscal Relief bill. It will provide a phased-down enhanced federal match of 3.1 percent beginning the first calendar quarter of FY2011, then dropping to 1.2 percent in the second calendar quarter.

The funding will bolster state coffers following the expiration of a $90 billion boost to Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) payments provided in 2009 under the stimulus package. The new extension will extend the help to states through June 2011.
Rick Pollack, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, applauded the Congressional effort "to protect the healthcare safety net."

"This funding comes at a crucial time when state budgets are in the red and more people are losing their healthcare coverage," he said.

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http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/congress-passes-fmap-extension

Thanks Dems! This is going to be a big help to states.

I'm sure this will be ignored though, since it's good news.

[Scurrilous]

1. Good news.

:thumbsup:

[SargeUNN]

2. hey no such good news as this is welcome here

if you can't post something about what a jerk Gibbs is then get with it. After all we want to gripe about Gibbs not talk about real progress.