Monday Vote Possible On Jobless Aid
Senate may vote on extending unemployment insurance Monday. The Hill: "Gene Sperling, the director of the National Economic Council, said the administration is behind Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) vow to bring up a cloture vote on a temporary extension when the Senate reconvenes Monday ... Republicans leaders in the House have not weighed in, but have insisted that any renewal of the jobless benefits be offset. The Senate bill provides no offsets and comes with a $6.4 billion price tag ..."
Omnibus spending bill, adhering to last month's budget deal, nears completion. The Hill: "Aides say progress on the $1 trillion, 12-part omnibus legislation has been better than expected at the subcommittee level, and that their goal remains to pass the bill through both chambers by Jan. 16 to prevent a government shutdown. The secretive process has members anticipating rushed votes when they return next week ... One House aide said that some obstacles remain on both funding levels for specific projects, and on some of the dozens of policy riders that have been proposed during the course of 2013."
Obamacare Kicks In
Most Obamacare provisions in place after new year. AP: "That means people who had been denied coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition can book appointments and get prescriptions. Caps on yearly out-of-pocket medical expenses will mean people shouldn’t have to worry about bankruptcy after treatment for a catastrophic illness or injury. And all new insurance policies must offer a minimum level of essential benefits, ranging from emergency room treatment to maternity care ... 2.1 million consumers have enrolled through the federal and state-run health insurance exchanges ... Millions more have been enrolled in Medicaid ..."
Consumers begin to take advantage. NYT: "[Kathy] Hornbach, who has had breast cancer and retired early from the technology industry, said that insurance companies in Arizona had refused to cover her until about two years ago, when she got a policy with monthly premiums of $285 and a deductible of $5,500 a year. Last month, using the federal insurance exchange, she bought a midlevel silver plan with lower premiums and deductible. 'It’s a better policy — lower out-of-pocket, more choice of doctors,' she said. 'This is a very happy day.'"
Breakfast Sides
The resurgent left means a healthier center, says W. Post's E. J. Dionne: "... the Democratic left is animated by the battle against growing inequality and declining social mobility ... And here’s why moderates should be cheering them on: When politicians can ignore the questions posed by the left and are pushed to focus almost exclusively on the right’s concerns about 'big government' and its unquestioning faith in deregulated markets, the result is immoderate and ultimately impractical policy. To create a real center, you need a real left."
Boehner serious about immigration reform, reports NYT: "Aides to Mr. Boehner said this week that he was committed to what he calls 'step by step' moves to revise immigration laws ... they could move on separate bills that would fast-track legalization for agricultural laborers, increase the number of visas for high-tech workers and provide an opportunity for young immigrants who came to the country illegally as children to become American citizens. Although the legislation would fall far short of the demands being made by immigration activists, it could provide the beginnings of a deal ... immigration activists say they are hopeful that politics may ultimately lead Mr. Boehner to ignore conservative voices who oppose a path to citizenship."
Student loan monitor "accused of ruthless tactics", reports NYT: "...Educational Credit Management Corporation [is] the main private entity hired by the Department of Education to fight student debtors who file for bankruptcy on federal loans ... A review of hundreds of pages of court documents as well as interviews with consumer advocates, experts and bankruptcy lawyers suggest that Educational Credit’s pursuit of student borrowers has veered more than occasionally into dubious terrain. A law professor and critic of Educational Credit, Rafael Pardo of Emory University, estimates that the agency oversteps in dozens of cases per year."
