I’ve been on record, both here and on Twitter, being skeptical a doc fix might ever pass. I’ve also been skeptical, both at the Upshot and in talks, that this Congress could pass a CHIP extension. Evidently, the House is doing everything in its power to prove me wrong:
The House overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes to the Medicare system on Thursday, in the most significant bipartisan policy legislation to pass through that chamber since the Republicans regained a majority in 2011.
The measure, which would establish a new formula for paying doctors and end a problem that has bedeviled the nation’s health care system for more than a decade, has already been blessed by President Obama, and awaits a vote in the Senate. The bill would also increase premiums for some higher income beneficiaries and extend a popular health insurance program for children.
The legislation, which passed on a 392-to-37 vote, embodies a rare and significant agreement negotiated by Speaker John A. Boehner and the House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, two leaders who are so often at odds with each other.
It’s been so long since I’ve see a bipartisan effort to pass anything substantial that I really don’t know how to process it. I’m literally stunned.
P.S. There’s still time, of course, for the Senate to pull a Lucy…
