Baucus: Dems 'oh So Close' To 60 On Medicare

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Finance Committee, said Monday that Democrats are “oh so close” to finding a 60th vote to move forward with a Medicare fix that would postpone a 10.6 percent cut in doctors’ reimbursements.

“We don’t always get a second chance in life, but this week senators will get a second chance to do the right thing on Medicare,” he said on a conference call with Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), who chairs the House Ways and Means subcommittee that deals with Medicare.

Baucus expressed little interest in switching out the House bill -- which the Senate voted on before leaving town for the July Fourth recess -- for a compromise version that he and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) had been working on. “Frankly, we did not have an agreement,” said Baucus, “and the overwhelming House vote changed the dynamics considerably.” The House passed its version by a roughly 6-1 margin.
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