WASHINGTON — A major deal struck between House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to overhaul Medicare appeared to win President Barack Obama’s endorsement on Wednesday.
“As we speak Congress is working to fix the Medicare-physician payment system. I’ve got my pen ready to sign a good bipartisan bill, which would be really exciting,” he said in a speech about Obamacare at the White House. “I love when Congress passes bipartisan bills that I can sign. It’s always very encouraging.”
The presidential endorsement could sway enough Senate Democrats, who have emerged as a potential obstacle, to support the agreement.
“We’re just looking at it now,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said moments before Obama’s remarks Wednesday. “We’ll see where we come out.”
The deal would end the perennial “doc fix” problem by replacing a formula that imposes steep annual cuts to Medicare physician payments. The package would also cut Medicare benefits for higher-income seniors and reduce spending on supplemental “Medigap” plans. It would extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program for two years.
If the legislation passes both chambers, it would amount to the most sweeping health care overhaul since Obamacare.
It is slated for a House vote on Thursday.
Its hard to get real excited by a typical, common sense bill being debated and hopefully passed.
The Repubs are apparently not going to go for the hidden abortion language or some other poison pill, so that a least is better but still, shouldn’t have ever been.
The common thread yet again is Nancy Pelosi, that’s the bottom line. She killed as leader and may be the only reason that Boener is clinging on to his tenuous title.
This fix is not deep brainwork, it is just the realization of years of obstruction that can no longer be used as the typical way of doing business. The Republicans wanted the majority and got it, now they have to take that responsibility seriously because it is. Braindead obstruction would do damage far beyond just hurting President Obama at this level.
The government hating Republicans are the government and as such are forced to govern. Methinks they bargained for more than they wanted to chew.
Obama and Pelosi, walking the Repubs to school.
Cutting payments to Docs is going to make it impossible for Seniors to find a doctor that will accept them as patients. Right now, if you have a Doc when you turn 65, he will likely keep you on. If you turn 65 and need to find a new Doc, it is literally impossible. This is going to keep Seniors landlocked to whereever they are living at 65. Even with the best and most expensive supplementals, Docs don’t want to take on Medicare patients.
Why is the doc fix permanent, but S-CHIP is just for two years? Cutting benefits based on income is a horrible idea. It turns Medicare into a welfare program, which means it will get the welfare stigma, and broad support will evaporate.
It was a mistake for Obama to say he’d sign such a bill. Now the Republicans will vote it down.
De Facto Speaker Pelosi wins again, and thus America wins again