Senate Overrides President's Medicare Veto

Press Release

Senate Overrides President's Medicare Veto
Today, the U.S. Senate voted 70-26 to override President Bush's veto of H.R.6331, the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act, a bill that replaces a drastic 10.6 percent Medicare reimbursement rate cuts for doctors that went into effect on July 1st with a 1.1 percent increase. United States Senator Ken Salazar issued the following statement in response to the outcome of the vote:

"Today's override of President Bush's veto is a great victory for our nation's seniors, individuals with disabilities, and the dedicated providers who serve them. It will also ensure access to care for our military families who rely on TriCare. These cuts would have had a devastating impact on the beneficiaries who depend on these programs for their health and well-being. I am relieved we were able to defuse this crisis.

"The President's veto of this legislation, taken together with his veto of the bipartisan State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) bill, is another callous act that fails to recognize the challenges facing American families who are struggling to find high-quality, affordable care. In spite of the President's vetoes, I will continue fighting to fix our broken health care system."

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