Senate acts to avert Medicare cut

Back from the July 4 holiday, the bill to stave off a 10.6-percent cut in Medicare physician payment received the support it needed and is now on its way to the president.

After falling one vote short of the 60 needed on June 26, House Resolution 6331, or the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008,”reached the Senate floor again today. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., made his first appearance on the Senate floor since undergoing brain surgery and voted “aye” to break the stalemate. After his arrival, Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn of Texas joined several other Senate Republicans and changed their votes from nay to aye, making the final procedural vote 69-30. Since the House had already passed the bill before the holiday, it now goes directly to the president.

At a White House press conference on July 10, it was announced that President Bush will veto the measure, as he threatened to do. Until further action, AAFP encourages members to contact and thank the Senators who voted for cloture in the July 9 vote. Click here to go to AAFP’s Speak Out.

In a statement released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a spokesperson announced that CMS would cease processing Medicare claims for services performed on or after July 1 until at least July 15. We’ll keep you updated on claims processing and other news as it becomes available.