Government Congress overrides Bush’s veto, blocks pay cut for physicians
By Ben Wasserman
Jul 17, 2008 - 1:16:16 PM
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TURSDAY July 17, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Both houses of Congress
override Bush's veto for a bill that aims to postpone the planned cut in
payments to physicians and reduce the payments to insurance companies involved
in a private program under Medicare.
The house voted 383 to 41 and the senate 70 to 26 to pass
the legislation, which is welcome by doctors, but opposed by medical insurance
companies. The bill considered a win for Democrats gained support from 153
Republicans in the house and 21 republicans in the Senate.
The payment cut has been scheduled as an act of budget
balancing. The scheduled cut in payments to physicians was effective as of July
1. The bill will postpone the cut for 18 months.
After that, a 20 percent cut is scheduled,
news media reports.
Government studies have already found that private insurers
like Humana and UnitedHealth in the Medicare program cost the government more
money per beneficiary and their profit is higher than projected.
An estimated 1.5 million seniors are enrolled
in the private program.
Democrats said
the private insurance is just too costly.
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, was quoted by
the New York Times as saying “seniors’ organizations and disabilities groups
support this legislation. Just about every health-care-providing group in our
country supports this legislation, except one, and that is some in the health
insurance industry. I guess the president is voting with them and not with
America’s seniors.”
Bush said he opposed the bill because it would cut federal
payments to Medicare Advantage plans and slow the growth of such plans provided
by insurance companies as an alternative to conventional Medicare and in the
end affect seniors under the plan.
The bill, which gained support from physicians groups, would
also reduce the beneficiaries’ copayment for mental health services and
provides increased assistance to low-income seniors on Medicare.