President Obama is expected to sign a $787 billion economic stimulus bill into law later today. The completion of the bill marks his biggest accomplishment as president – and what is expected to be a huge boost for the nursing home industry.
Included in the package is $87 billion extra in Medicaid funding. Medicaid is the No. 1 payer of long-term care in the United States. The controversial measure also includes delay of certain Medicaid policy provisions that providers did not favor.
The Senate voted late Friday 60-38 to pass the bill, achieving a filibuster-proof majority only with the help of three Republican members who broke party ranks at the urging of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). A vote earlier in the day saw Democrats easily pass the measure — without the help of a single Republican vote.
