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Re: House passes Medicare bill but obstacles remainFrom: Joe (forcep@intercom.net)Thu Jun 26 15:44:16 2008
how about free health care, an outrageous pension and the ability to be deaf to our real needs? Joe C > Why doesn't Congress have to work til 7/3 and go back to work on 7/7 > like the rest of us working folks? Stupid question, I guess, but I > sure would like to get a week and a half off for a one-day holiday. > > Anna Meenan > >> First, the good news: The House voted 355 to 59 this week in favor of >> legislation that would eliminate the proposed 10.6% reduction in >> Medicare payments for 18 months. However, there are still a few >> obstacles to enacting the legislation. The bill now goes to the >> Senate where the vote is expected to be much tighter. And if it >> passes in its current form, the White House has threatened a veto >> because the bill includes cuts to Medicare Advantage. The Senate is >> scheduled to vote later today, but if legislation isn't passed by the >> end of this week, the cut will go into effect and the Senate won't >> reconvene until July 9 because of the Independence Day recess. [Read >> More] >> <http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content_redirect.cfm?content_id=214191> >> >> Wednesday, June 25, 2008; Page A03 >> By a surprisingly large bipartisan margin, the House voted yesterday >> to postpone a planned cut in payments to physicians who treat >> Medicare >> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Medicare?tid=informline> >> patients by approving a reduction in payouts to private insurers. >> The House approved legislation, on a 355 to 59 vote, that forestalls >> a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals for >> 18 months. Democrats warned that such a decrease would lead to many >> physicians opting out of treating Medicare patients. >> "If we fail to enact this legislation, physicians will face a 10 >> percent pay cut that jeopardizes access to care for seniors and the >> disabled," said Rep. John D. Dingell >> <http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/d000355/> >> (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which >> helped write the bill. >> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/U.S.+House+Committee+on+Energy+and+Commerce?tid=informline> >> The battle now shifts to the Senate, where it may be more closely fought. >> The White House has threatened to veto the bill because it includes >> payment reductions to Medicare Advantage, the program under which >> some seniors use a private, fee-for-service insurer instead of >> Medicare for their health coverage. >> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/The+White+House?tid=informline> >> According to White House statements, a drop in payments to those >> insurers would result in reduced services and benefits, particularly >> for elderly patients in rural areas. >> Democrats said private insurers receive too much money. The >> legislation approved yesterday could result in $14 billion less for >> them over five years, though an estimate by a conservative House >> Republican caucus put the tally at $47.5 billion over 11 years. >> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/U.S.+Republican+Party?tid=informline> >> The bill has broad support from the American Medical Association, >> which regularly sought and received prior postponements of planned >> cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. >> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/American+Medical+Association?tid=informline> >> It was considered under a fast-track provision that required a >> two-thirds majority for passage. House Republican leaders had hoped >> to hold enough of their members to kill the measure and allow for >> continued bipartisan negotiations in the Senate, where the reduced >> payments to private insurers were not under consideration. >> Antonia Ferrier, spokeswoman for Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the House >> minority whip, said that "our members wanted to go home having voted >> for a measure that would ensure that physicians are fairly reimbursed >> by Medicare. Sadly, House Democrats would neither back down nor >> commit to finding a way to get a reasonable compromise." >> <http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b000575/> >> Instead, with less than a week until the reduced payments to doctors >> are scheduled to take effect, a majority of Republicans, 129, >> supported the plan. >> >> Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said yesterday he will >> bring the House version to a vote this week. >> <http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/r000146/> >> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062400970.html?wpisrc=newsletter >> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062400970.html?wpisrc=newsletter> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> cars. <http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >
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