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Senate Medicare Extension Vote Delayed over Funding

August 3, 2010 -- Florida is still waiting to see if Washington will extend Medicaid help into next year. The current state budget is counting on the federal Medicaid extension for almost a billion dollars.

However, Monday’s Senate vote on the issue was delayed by a higher cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.

The measure would have helped the states bolster Medicaid through the first half of 2011, extending relief that was provided through stimulus dollars.

Democrats thought they had offset the overall cost of the package with reductions in food stamp and Medicaid drug benefits. The proposal also closed some tax loopholes.

The new Congressional Budget Office analysis found the measure wasn’t fully paid for, though. The CBO reports that some of the cuts wouldn’t save as much as anticipated.

 

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