The Political Bridge

Sweetners in the Senate's Health Care Vote

Information from the NY Times

A Few of the Giveaways for Votes:

· Increased Medicare payments to States with (at least) 50% frontier counties(less than 6 people per square mile)--presumably Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

· Additional Medicaid money for Nebraska

· $100 million to an unmanned “health care facility”

· “Doctor-owners can continue to refer Medicare patients to the hospital” in eastern Nebraska.

· Increased Medicare payments to certain “low-volume hospitals” treating limited numbers of Medicare patient

 .

Bloomberg Press: Fight Looms Between House and Senate Democrats on Cutting Funds to Medicare Advantage

A fight still looms between House and Senate Democrats(regarding cutes to Medicare Advantage). The House health-care bill contains about $50 billion more in cuts to Medicare Advantage than the Senate. The House plan also would target rural areas for much of the reduction. In the Senate, where Montana’s Max Baucus and other lawmakers from rural states wield more influence, Democrats are looking to cities for savings.

To Read More Click Bloomberg Press