“„Facing a Feb. 28 deadline, Reid hopes to pass two measures, one as soon as Tuesday. The first includes a 30-day extension of several of soon-to-expire provisions such as jobless aid, parts of the Patriot Act and prevention of cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.
“„Reid and McConnell were obviously negotiating the parameters of the second — a broader, longer-term measure — in a private conversation on the Senate floor. A top Reid aide could be overheard suggesting a full-year extension of unemployment insurance and a 65 percent health insurance subsidy for the unemployed through the federal COBRA program.