House leaders work on $213B 'doc fix' plan

Bipartisan House leaders are working on a $213 billion plan to permanently change how doctors are paid for treating Medicare patients, a costly problem that's vexed Congress for years, a document circulating among lawmakers showed Tuesday. Many of the tentative plan's details had already been disclosed by lobbyists, legislators and congressional aides. Some particulars were new, such as setting a 2020 starting point for higher out-of-pocket expenses for people buying new Medigap policies, which cover costs not insured by Medicare. Lobbyists and aides have said negotiators discussed requiring Medigap beneficiaries to pay $250 out of pocket, which proponents say would discourage people from unneeded medical expenses.