WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- Through some tricky maneuvering Thursday, House GOP leaders snuck through passage of the so-called "Doc Fix" patch to prevent a massive cut in Medicare payments before next week's deadline.
With just days left before 24 percent cuts to Medicare providers go into effect on March 31, lawmakers abandoned hope a permanent repeal of the unpopular sustainable growth-rate formula could be agreed upon in time. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner personally negotiated a patch to prevent the cuts for the 17th time in 11 years.