House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), left, kisses House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), right, in the Rose Garden of the White House before President Obama's remarks to members of Congress, Tuesday, April 21, 2015. Obama thanked those who supported H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 to improve the affordability and quality of health care for the youngest and oldest in the nation. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Obama invited members of Congress to the White House Tuesday to celebrate the rare bipartisan agreement that led to a “permanent doc fix,” which ended the the need for annual passage of a reimbursement formula for doctors who treat Medicare patients.
The president praised the congressional leaders who managed to cut a deal to permanently solve the problem after many years of stalemate. “We didn’t just settle for fixing an old formula, we replaced it with a better one which incentivized more treatment over better treatment -- something that costs a lot more money,” Obama said. “This finally solves a serious problem."
He thanked House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who led the effort to cut the deal. And then added: “Most importantly I just want to thank everyone for showing that Republicans and Democrats can come together, put aside partisanship, not just on must-dos, but on things that actually make the country work better."
With Washington gridlocked for much of the past six years, such an event has been a a rarity.
Asked about his reaction to the event, Boehner said it felt good: “What else could you say?”
The good feelings were so abundant that Pelosi and Boehner shared a friendly kiss to celebrate.
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