Congress Quashes President’s Medicare Veto!

In a recent development, George Bush’s veto of the bill to put a stop to the cuts in doctor’s payments from Medicare (insurance scheme for the disabled and seniors funded by the government), was thwarted by the US Congress. The Senate voted 70 to 26 and the House of Representatives voted 383 to 41, clearly overriding the White House veto which requires a two-third majority in both houses.

The reduction in doctor’s payments was planned in order to balance the spending targets that were not attained. This move which would have come into effect at the beginning of this month was thought unwise by the Democrats as well as many Republicans. The Congress instead voted for a reduction in the refund made to insurance companies that give services via Medicare. 

The legislation was introduced by the Democrats in order to stop doctors from abandoning the Medicare program. They maintained that private insurers were being needlessly over-funded under the Medicare Advantage.

The Democrats argument was that over 80 percent of the elderly patients preferred to get treated by doctors in the Medicare scheme and that such liberal subsidies to private insurers undermined the traditional way. The President on the other hand said that the bill was ‘fiscally irresponsible’ and bound to ‘undermine the Medicare prescription drug program’.

The next US President will have a tough job on his hands trying to sort out the organization and payment of Medicare.