Hill shorts

The AP reports that the House did pass by voice vote this afternoon the Senate approved measure (HR 5712) extending the Medicare Part B physician reimbursement patch through the end of December 2010. "Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and the panel's top Republican, Charles Grassley of Iowa, say they are working on a 12-month postponement that would give them time to devise a new system for paying doctors. It is estimated that repeal of the current budget formula would cost $300 billion over 10 years that would have to be made up with other spending cuts or added to the deficit."

The New York Times reports that renewed efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act's expanded IRS Form 1099 MISC reporting requirement failed in the Senate today. "Despite the inability to overturn the provision, Senate officials said they expected that another vote on repeal would come soon, given the support the idea has in both parties."