Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) late yesterday unveiled a scaled-back jobs bill, which omits all of the health care provisions included in the draft measure released hours earlier by Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA). For example, the Baucus-Grassley proposal includes an AHA-supported provision that would clarify the definition of hospital-based physician under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to allow physicians who practice in hospital-owned outpatient centers and clinics to qualify for federal payment incentives for health information technology. Their proposal also would delay through Sept. 30 a 21% Medicare payment cut for physicians; extend premium assistance for COBRA benefits through May 31; make a technical correction to reimburse critical access hospitals at 101% of their reasonable costs for Method 2 outpatient services; and extend through 2010 expiring Medicare payment provisions related to rural hospitals, long-term care hospitals, the technical component of certain physician pathology services, mental health services and ambulances.