Nancy Marshall-Genzer

The final six spending bills needed to fund the federal government are packaged into one big measure.

One of those bills would fund the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE.

In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called on Republicans to split off the DHS bill so the Senate can pass the other five spending bills and send them on to President Trump for his signature.

The New York Times is reporting that Schumer and Trump are talking about a deal that would separate the DHS bill, as Schumer requested.

Then the Times says Congress would vote on a short-term extension for DHS.

That would allow time for more negotiations on changes Democrats want for ICE.

Among them, ICE agents couldn't wear masks.

and would have to wear body cameras.

They would also have to stop making arrests and entering homes without warrants.

But all these changes would also have to be approved by the House.

I'm Nancy Marshall-Genzer for Marketplace.

Medicare pays big insurers like UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health to manage Medicare Advantage plans for seniors.

Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers Medicare, projected a rate increase for these insurers of slightly less than 1%.

The companies were expecting closer to 4 or 5%.

The government is trying to crack down on companies that read patients' medical charts and conclude they have additional illnesses.

Insurers are paid more when patients are sicker.

Now, Medicare wants to change that, only paying for new illnesses diagnosed during a visit to a doctor's office.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says it's trying to limit growing unnecessary costs from, quote, coding practices that do not lead to better quality coverage.

It'll finalize new rates by this April.

The trade group America's Health Insurance Plan says the proposed low rate could result in benefit cuts and higher costs for seniors.