Medicare Payments Safe for Now      

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It is now mid-July and Congress has been going back and forth with President Bush over Medicare cuts to doctors for what seems like forever.  In a strong show of bipartisanship, Congress, last week, after the July 4th break, voted to block the 10.6% cuts to doctors who accept patients on Medicare.  This was a relief to thousands of doctors and millions of patients who depend on Medicare to help keep their ailments and illnesses under control.  If these cuts were to go into effect, many doctors – who are struggling to keep treating Medicare patients even at the current payment rates – would have to cut the number of patients that they could continue to treat, if any.  As a result, these patients would end up without a personal physician, likely escalating their diseases and costing the system even more money.  So it was a relief all around when Congress voted to maintain these benefits.

That relief was short-lived, though, since President Bush, of course, who has been threatening for months to veto this vote if it went through, did just so.  It is unfortunate that this president is “so out of touch,” was an observation by Barbara Boxer. 

Congress, however reacted how it promised it would react by overriding the veto.  Democrats and Republicans who saw the urgency and the value of the vote, stood firm and saw to it that the President’s veto did not stand. 

The AMA’s reaction to Congress overriding the veto was to say in support of Congress, “Today we celebrate that Congress heard the voices of millions of patients and physicians and voted to override President Bush’s veto and protect the health of America. 

For now, patients and physicians can breathe a sigh of relief, however, during the next year, Congress will have to work on a permanent solution to this issue and other issues that are cause for concern and debate regarding Medicare, and they will have to come up with a balance that will suit as many people as possible.  This will not be an easy task, but for the time being, today has been a good day for Congress, physicians and their patients.

Entry Filed under: General-Medicare