On its first day back in session after its two-week Easter holiday, the Senate voted 60 to 34 to end debate and move forward to final voting on a bill that could give doctors a reprieve on scheduled Medicare pay cuts.

The vote to move forward with the nearly $9.2 billion bill split largely along party lines, with only four Republicans voting for the cloture motion and no Democrats against. The Republicans were Scott Brown (R-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Olympia Snowe (R-M) and George Voinovich (R-OH).

Final voting could begin as early as Thursday.
The bill, H.R. 4851, would delay a nearly 21 percent slash in Medicare payments to doctors until April 30. Though the pay cuts technically went into effect April 1, Medicare agreed to hold off on implementing the changes until 10 business days after that date, to give Congress time to work out a solution to pay cuts bitterly opposed by medical groups.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill, which also extends unemployment and COBRA health insurance benefits, will add nearly $9.2 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years.

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