Republicans, Democrats Agree on Negotiation Procedures for Stimulus Package; Talks Begin Tuesday

House and Senate leaders on Dec. 3 agreed on procedures for negotiations on an economic stimulus bill, which would likely include provisions to help unemployed workers purchase health insurance, and hope to "come up with a compromise as quickly as possible," CongressDaily/AM reports (Norton/Wegner, CongressDaily/AM, 12/4). "Substantive talks" on a bill will begin Dec. 4 (Kessler, AP/Washington Post, 12/4). The move "improved chances" that Congress will pass a bill this year (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 12/4). However, a final agreement on legislation "could be a long way off," CongressDaily reports (Earle/Norton, CongressDaily, 12/3).

Negotiation Procedures
The House approved economic stimulus legislation in October, but the Senate has not passed a bill, "so the traditional rules of working out an agreement in conference do not apply." As a result, "special procedures were necessary" to agree on the terms of negotiations on the bill (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/30). After "days of wrangling," lawmakers agreed to appoint a negotiation team made up of six lawmakers -- one Senate and two House Republicans, and one House and two Senate Democrats -- to debate tax and unemployment provisions. Another evenly divided group of six lawmakers from the two chambers will address a Medicaid provision in the proposed legislation (CongressDaily/AM, 12/4). Senate Democrats offered Medicaid provisions in their version of an economic stimulus bill. Last month, Senate Republicans blocked the bill, which would have allowed states to extend Medicaid coverage to unemployed workers who do not qualify for COBRA and provided $1.4 billion to boost the federal match to states for Medicaid. COBRA, the 1986 Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, allows unemployed workers to retain health coverage under their former employers' insurance plans by paying 102% of the premiums. In addition, the legislation would have provided $14.3 billion to extend benefits for unemployed workers by 13 weeks and $12.3 billion to help unemployed workers purchase health coverage through COBRA (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/15). The House approved a separate $100 billion GOP-sponsored bill, supported by President Bush, that would increase by $3 billion funding for the Social Services Block Grant program to allow states to provide health insurance to unemployed workers and their families (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/29).