Rep. Andrews presses for quick 'doc fix' passage

Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.), the Chair of the Education and Labor health panel, tells The Hill that Congress should quickly pass a bill delaying cuts to Medicare physician payments. The comments seem at odds with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) statement Monday that the House should hold off on taking up the Senate's Medicare doc fix until the Senate passes a tax extenders bill, which some House members fear might go nowhere if it's uncoupled from the must-pass doc fix.

"Leverage is less important than ensuring seniors can see their doctors," Andrews said as he was entering a meeting in the office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). "So I think it's important to pass it."