Last night Congress overrode the President’s veto of the Medicare Re-imbursement bill 70-26. Earlier in the day the house had also overridden the veto by 383-41.
Without the override, physician reimbursement would have been cut by 10%; the bill gives physicians a 1.1% increase in their fees. The bill was passed for 18 months, giving the new congress and president enough time to work out a compromise the next time around.
It is a curious veto for the president, I am not sure what he had hoped to accomplish in this Veto.
President Bush states:
“I support the primary objective of this legislation, to forestall reductions in physician payments,” Bush said in his veto message today. “Yet taking choices away from seniors to pay physicians is wrong.”
This override moves the debate to 18 months from now, when the cut will be 20%. Passage of this bill is a tribute to the hard work of doctors and seniors to see it get passed. Senator Baucus deserves a lot of the credit, having kept the debate and the size of the bill to a minimum.
This bill was the legislative vehicle that Senator Grassley was hoping to amend for the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, perhaps next year the environment will be a little less charged.
Bloomberg: Congress Overrides Bush’s Veto on Medicare Payments
Wall Street Journal: Congress Overrides Medicare Veto
New York Times: Congress, Overriding Bush, Blocks Pay Cut for Doctors
Policy and Medicine: Medicare Bill 2008: Update