Lawmakers left the Capitol on Wednesday in a stalemate over children's health insurance, increasing the likelihood of a short-term extension of the program's funding.
Despite numerous meetings and continued discussions over the past two days, House and Senate leaders were unable to resolve the two biggest points of contention between a House bill (HR 3162) renewing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, and a Senate version (HR 976): how much to spend on the program and whether to include provisions on Medicare.
Senators blamed House Democratic leaders, who have refused to concede that their bill cannot pass the Senate. It would increase spending on SCHIP by about $47 billion over five years, to $72 billion, and includes extensive Medicare changes.
Senate Republicans say they will oppose any final bill that greatly exceeds the spending level their chamber has passed — $60 billion over five years, a $35 billion increase — or includes cuts to Medicare Advantage, a popular, GOP-championed program in which insurers instead of the government provide health coverage to seniors. The House bill would do both.