http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/236902-obama-endorses-doc-fix-dealBy Sarah Ferris and Jordan Fabian - 03/25/15 10:58 AM EDT
President Obama signaled Wednesday he’s prepared to sign a bipartisan deal on Medicare emerging in Congress.
“I’ve got my pen ready to sign a good bipartisan bill,” the president said during a speech at the White House.
“I love when Congress passes bipartisan bills that I can sign, it’s very encouraging,” he joked to applause.
The emerging “doc fix” deal would repeal a Medicare rule known as the sustainable growth rate, which triggers automatic cuts in payments to doctors. The package would also extend for two years federal funding under ObamaCare for community health centers and a children's healthcare program.
A vote in the House is expected Thursday and the package is likely to gain broad bipartisan support, partly because of the backing of Speaker John Boener (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Senate Democrats have not endorsed the package yet, and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was non-committal toward the legislation on Tuesday.
They have objected to the fact that the community health center language would prevent federal funds from being used for abortions, something that led Planned Parenthood to oppose the bill. Pelosi argues the status quo prevents federal funds from being used for abortions, and that the new bill would change nothing.
Obama's remarks came during a speech on the fifth anniversary of his healthcare law. During the same meeting, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also announced a major new initiative that it hopes will be the administration's next step for healthcare reform.
