Congress Overrides Veto of Medicare Bill

July 16, 2008

Congress delivered a stern rebuke to President Bush on July 15, when it overrode his veto of a Medicare bill, blocking planned pay cuts to physicians who treat Medicare beneficiaries, the disabled, and military personnel. The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (HR 6331) halts a scheduled 10.6 percent cut in payments to physicians, and institutes a 1.1 percent payment increase in 2009.

 

The vote came just hours after President Bush vetoed the bill, declaring it “objectionable" and "fiscally irresponsible."

 

In his veto message, Mr. Bush said he objected to the bill because it would cut federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans offered by insurance companies as an alternative to traditional Medicare. The President added, "I support the primary objective of this legislation, to forestall reductions in physician payments," but "taking choices away from seniors to pay physicians is wrong."

 

Just hours after the veto, the House voted 383 to 41 to override it, while the Senate voted 70 to 26--in both cases far more than the two-thirds necessary to block the President's action.

 

In this vote, a total of 153 House Republicans voted to defy the White House, 24 more than in a June 24 vote that started the momentum toward passage of the Medicare bill July 15. Another 21 Senate Republicans voted for the bill this time, including four senators who had voted 'nay' in two previous Medicare votes.

 

While much of the focus has been on the Medicare physician reimbursement issue, other health sectors benefit from the bill’s passage as well. For instance, the legislation includes a delay in the implementation of a competitive bidding program that most of the durable medical equipment industry opposed. In addition, the pharmacy industry won some long-sought-after provisions in the legislation, such as the requirement that drug plans pay pharmacies for the medicines they dispense within 14 days.

 

To learn how your senator or representative voted on the veto override, visit the following links.

 

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll491.xml

 

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00177.