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Federal Deficit Reduction
Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011
Last Updated: 2/17/2012
The Latest: The U.S. House and Senate have approved the “compromise” proposal on H.R. 3630, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, to extend the payroll tax holiday, extend unemployment benefits, and extend payment relief for physicians; all of which were set to expire on February 29. The U.S. House of Representatives vote was 293-132, with the entire Pennsylvania delegation voting “yes.” The Senate vote was 60-36, with Senator Casey voting “yes” and Senator Toomey voting “no.” President Obama is expected to sign the bill.
Background: During late December, Congress passed the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, H.R. 3765. In addition to extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for two months, H.R. 3765 postpones until February 29, 2012, the 27.4 percent Medicare payment reduction to physicians that was set for implementation on January 1, 2012. Also, HAP, the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the hospital community were able to secure two-month extensions for several expiring hospital payments:
H.R. 3765 was only a stop-gap measure, and a U.S. House and Senate conference committee has been formed to reach agreement on a longer-term solution on Medicare physician payments, the payroll tax cut, and unemployment benefits. The conference committee will discuss hospital extenders and determine whether reductions to hospital payments will be included to offset the cost of the legislation. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-Montgomery) have been selected to serve on the conference committee. Additional Information:
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