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In their talks, Democrats said they have decided how to close a gap in prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients and to ease a costly new tax on high-cost health insurance plans that the Senate has approved. But in part because they haven't received final cost estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, some moving parts remain. These include how generous federal subsidies for low- and middle-income earners would be, how much extra Medicaid assistance to give states that are providing richer benefits and how much to boost a payroll tax on upper income people. Also unresolved was whether to include an unrelated plan to change the federal government's multibillion-dollar college student loan program. And the White House is pressuring the Senate to remove some specific deals in the legislation, including money for asbestos-disease sufferers in Montana and to build a hospital in Connecticut. One of Democrats' biggest hurdles is easing House concerns that the Senate won't approve the second "fix-it" measure. House Democrats worry that would leave them vulnerable to GOP campaign attack ads blaming them for unpopular items in the Senate bill, like the higher tax on expensive insurance policies. Top House Democrats said they have given up trying to win over some conservative Democrats demanding that the bill strictly bar federal aid for abortion. That means they likely will have to win converts from among 39 House Democrats who voted against the House's initial health bill in November.
[Associated
Press;
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