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With more than 300,000 workers in Washington unemployed, it’s critical that Congress extend critical provisions that help struggling families during the slow economic recovery.

Just before Memorial Day recess, the U.S. House passed H.R. 4213, which would, among other things, extend the emergency jobless benefits millions of long-term unemployed workers are relying upon.

However, in last minute negotiations a critical provision was left out of the bill.

As part of last year’s Recovery Act, states received federal assistance through an increase in federal matching dollars on state Medicaid spending through the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, known as FMAP.  This aid has helped our state weather the impacts of the national recession by preventing damaging cuts to healthcare services and saving jobs in the public sector.  But the increased FMAP provision is set to expire at the end of 2010, a full six months before our state fiscal year ends in June of 2011. 

If this FMAP provision is not extended in the final version of the bill, Washington would likely face deeper cuts to healthcare services to make up for the $435 million loss in funding at a time when more families are relying upon them.

Although it looks as if the FMAP provision will be extended in the Senate version of the bill, the legislation still needs to return to the House for final approval.