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Congress overrides veto of bill to stall Medicare cuts
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Congress has voted to override President Bush’s veto of legislation that will halt the 10.6% Medicare physician payment cut that went into effect July 1.
After President Bush vetoed the bill, the House of Representatives voted 383-41 to override the veto, and the Senate followed suit, voting 70-26.
In addition to providing an 18-month reprieve from the 10.6% cut, HR 6331 — called the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 — will prevent the 5.5% pay cut scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1. In addition, the bill extends a 0.5% positive payment update through Dec. 31 and provides a 1.1% increase in 2009.
The cut had stemmed from a reduction in the sustainable growth rate, a formula that determines annual updates to Medicare physician payments, as well as previous attempts to delay the cut.
The measure also blocks implementation of a proposed durable medical equipment/prosthetic, orthotics and supplies accreditation restriction, which the American Optometric Association strongly opposed. The restriction would have threatened to deny Medicare patients access to postsurgical eye wear, according to the AOA.
“Massive Medicare cuts would have severely hampered our mission to ensure that America’s seniors have access to quality and affordable eye care,” AOA President Peter Kehoe, OD, said in an AOA press release.