Last night the Senate joined the House in approving H.R. 4691, the Temporary Extension Act of 2010, which President Obama promptly signed into law. The legislation includes a one-month extension of the Medicare physician fee schedule freeze in lieu of the 21.2% cut that briefly went into effect March 1, 2010 (that is, the law continues to hold payments at 2009 levels through the end of March). The measure also extends the outpatient therapy cap extension process, which had expired at the end of 2009, through March 31, 2010. In addition, the law extends COBRA insurance premium assistance through March 31, 2010. Note that lawmakers are negotiating a longer-term extension of expiring Medicare provisions, along with an extension of enhanced federal Medicaid matching payments and other health policy revisions, as part of a broader jobs bill, the “American Workers, State and Business Relief Act.”
