COBRA

President Obama Thursday night signed a bill that postpones a scheduled 21.2% cut in Medicare physician pay and extends the COBRA unemployment insurance benefit until June 1. He made it law just hours after the legislation cleared both houses of Congress.

The Senate on Tuesday voted 66-34 to end debate on a package of healthcare stopgap measures. These include an extension of the therapy caps exceptions process.

By 2012, taxpayers will be footing the bill for 50% of all healthcare spending in the U.S., a new government report suggests.