Legal Commentary

Medicare Cuts Aborted, Funds Restored

By Jeralyn

At least the Senate did one thing right today. It passed the bill to restore Medicare funding that the House passed in June. And, it's veto-proof.

The vote was 69-30 -- "a veto-proof margin," said Paul Precht, spokesman for the nonprofit Medicare Rights Center. Pres. Bush had threatened to veto the bill if passed.

The cuts went into effect July 1. They included an $1,800 cap on outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy.

I know about this because this weekend I got a letter from the TL mom's nursing home saying that her therapy would end July 1 unless she agrees to pay 100% of the cost due to the Senate not getting its act together before the recess to pass the House bill that would extend the deadline for the cuts to take effect. It failed to pass the bill then by one vote. The cuts were passed in 2005 but every year Congress has voted to extend the date the cuts take effect.

Other aspects of the bill: [More...]

This bill would allow people in Medicare to maintain access to their doctors, improve benefits for low-income, prevention, and mental health programs, and boost quality through national e-prescribing.

This bill is why Ted Kennedy was in the Senate voting today. Thanks, Sen. Kennedy. And if you want to see the list of the worst 30 Senators in Congress, those who voted against the bill, here's the offical vote tally.

Press releases are flying through the Internet with everyone, from drug companies to advocacy groups to doctors organizations praising the bill. Every member of congress who voted for it is sending out a release letting their constituents know they supported it. Here's one from Sen. Harkin, Rep. Stephanie Tubb Jones and Sen. Obama.

This doctor in TN is already castigating her Senators for voting against it. Here's the American Diabetes Association. Another from the National e-Prescribing group and one from the National Rural Health Initiative. One from the angioplasty folks.

What got this bill passed? I'd say lobbying by all these groups. While researching it this weekend, every group from the American Heart Association to the AARP to a major organization dealing with strokes had lobbied Congress. Lobbying isn't always a bad thing.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 09, 2008 (boomark / email).