House overrides Bush veto of Medicare legislation

The House voted 383-41 Tuesday evening to override President Bush's veto of legislation aimed at preventing a scheduled 10.6 percent payment cut to doctors treating Medicare patients (Source: “House overrides Bush Medicare veto,” Cleveland Plain Dealer/AP, July 15, 2008).

The Senate also must conduct an override vote, and it was expected to do so later Tuesday.

The president supports rescinding the pay cut, but objects to the way lawmakers would finance the plan, which would be largely by reducing spending on private health plans serving the elderly and disabled. The cut was set to take place July 1 and is based on a formula that establishes lower reimbursement rates when Medicare spending levels exceed established targets.

The Bush administration had agreed to hold off on reimbursement to doctors until Congress could consider ways to remedy the payment cut.