Democrats To Move Forward With Medicare Package
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Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Wednesday said he will move forward with a Medicare package developed by Democrats that likely will be opposed by Republicans and the Bush administration, CQ Today reports. Baucus said he is retreating from crafting a bipartisan Medicare package that would delay for 18 months a 10.6% cut to physician fees (Armstrong [1], CQ Today, 5/21). Although both parties want to halt the cut, which is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, they have been unable to agree on offsets to pay for the bill, among other issues (Armstrong [2], CQ Today, 5/21).
Baucus said, “It seems clear to me that we’re not going to get an agreement in time to meet the deadlines, so I’m going to move forward with a bill that I think has the right policies and priorities for the Medicare program.” He also said, “Frankly, the White House is a stone wall. And it makes it very difficult for the Republicans to negotiate,” adding, “They just don’t want any reductions to any of the (Medicare Advantage) plans.”
Full Story: Democrats To Move Forward With Medicare Package
Source: kaisernetwork.org
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