House votes to override Bush Medicare veto

Reuters ^ | 7/15/8 | Richard Cowan

[SmithL]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to override President George W. Bush's veto of a Medicare bill that would cancel a scheduled 11 percent pay cut to doctors who treat patients in the health care program for the elderly.

The House voted 383-41 to overturn Bush's action, just hours after he vetoed the legislation. The Senate also was expected to override the veto later on Tuesday.

[SmithL]

Your tax dollars at work.

[Bahbah]

The Senate just voted to override the veto.

[Myrddin]

Socialism at work. Our legislators are buying senior citizen votes with the taxpayer's money today.

[upchuck]

Bump! The Communists in Congress continue to perpetuate the Medicare Ponzi Scheme.

Again, they show complete fiscal irresponsibility and clearly demonstrate they haven’t a clue.

I’m sure the physician’s lobby is pleased. But the day of reckoning is coming.

[VRW Conspirator]

Pivotal

[BeckB]

Medicare is going broke and we can’t even cut doctor’s pay.
I am afraid the whole sysem will collapse. Maybe that is what the Democrats want. But it seems like taking care of the poor would have included cutting payments and keeping the system solvent

[plain talk]

I just want the names of the 22 Republican senators

[Myrddin]

It will collapse eventually. There isn't enough money available to pay doctors properly for services they shouldn't be offering with a government paycheck. When they finally revolt and drop the Medicare patients, there will be a big howl from the senior citizens. The day of reckoning is coming.

[Liberty 275]

Stupid democrats hate greedy corporations but support giving more of our tax dollars to members of one of the wealthiest occupations in our country. Then they whine about medical care being too expensive.

On the other hand, paying them more from medicare makes socializing medicine for the working class and just-plain-lazy even more impossible. That’s a definite plus for America.

[oldenuff2no]

Here in Kalifornia th estate has decided to delay payments to Doctors for the state program. The state didn't ask, or even notify them in advance. The docs just got a letter one day saying guess what, we will pay you sometime after Sept first.
There are many doctors opting out of treating those patients.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Now wait a second, guys. If these doctors are taking care of patients in Medicare, then they deserve to get paid.

Either abolish the program or show them the money. Can't have it both ways.

[Myrddin]

There are many doctors opting out of treating those patients.

As they should. Doctors have no obligation to provide services without compensation. The state was underhanded to pull that kind of stunt. The docs should tell the state that there will be no further services until their accounts receivable is completely current.

[JSteff]

“Under the bill, the costs to the government of canceling the doctor pay cut would be offset with about $13 billion in reimbursement reductions to insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Aetna Inc., which contract with the Medicare program.”

So it is not the doctors who will make out but the insurance companies. doctors will make less than they were under the dem plan but the insurance companies will get a huge chunk of money instead.

Read the story folks! Congress wants the insurance companies to make out in this deal. After all, they will be the ones who administer the governments universal health care plan! Better to have the insurance companies on their side then try to get a bunch of independent contractors to agree to the scheme.

After all, companies are easier to control than individual contractors.

[greccogirl]

Cut it? You mean like cutting twenty bucks to ten? Medicare is a joke. If this went through seniors would be dropped by the hundreds of thousands.

[socialismisinsidious]

Socialized Medicine aka Universal Health Care PING LIST

FReepmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this ping list.

[socialismisinsidious]

That is exactly what Democrats want b/c the sheople are so stupid that if the system is destroyed they will start bleating about needing help and then government can come to the rescue. Right now the more people unhappy with health care (and bleating “do something”) then the better for socialized medicine.

[Mom MD]

not that it isnt my ox being gored, but let me tell you, the medicare money is not going to doctors.

We already lose money big time on medicare patients. Medicare already pays only 1/3 to 1/4 of what private insurance does, and in some cases a lot less. Cutting the reimbursement further would just push the number of docs that refuse to see medicare patients even higher. There is already a crisis in primary care, and it is only getting worse. Cutting physician compensation will add to the mess

[Mom MD]

Fortunately or unfortunately, most of us love our senior patients and would not trade them for the world. However, economic reality may dictate that many practices can no longer afford to see medicare pts - when you look at the overhead and the services they use, we literally loose money on some of them.

[Mom MD]

pls add me to the ping list

[steve86]

Good.