President Obama signaled Wednesday that he’ll likely sign a bill that would resolve the annual threat of cuts in Medicare payments to physicians while also including abortion restrictions that are opposed by some women’s groups.
“I’ve got my pen ready to sign a good, bipartisan bill, which would be really exciting,” Mr. Obama said while promoting the fifth anniversary of Obamacare. “I love when Congress passes bipartisan bills that I can sign.”
The House is expected to vote this week on legislation that would permanently ending automatic Medicare cuts to physicians. The Congressional Budget Office said the cost of the fix is $200 billion, to be shared about evenly between Medicare beneficiaries and providers.
Republican Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi of California reached agreement on the bill, which has drawn the ire of some women’s groups because it subjects community health centers to abortion curbs that Congress has enacted annually since 1979 — the so-called the Hyde amendment.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Mrs. Pelosi has “an impeccable record of standing up for the right of women to choose and make their own decisions about their health care.”
“We certainly put a lot of stock in the views of the minority leader on this,” he said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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