The Senate voted July 9 to stop the 10.6 percent Medicare cuts by a veto proof margin after a dramatic, last minute appearance by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.).
The Senate previously failed by one vote on a procedural step necessary to consider HR 6331, the House-passed Medicare bill. Kennedy missed the first vote due to receiving treatments for cancer. Kennedy's "yes" vote Wednesday, his first appearance on the Senate floor since his diagnosis, gave Democrats the necessary 60 votes to proceed, and resulted in several Republicans changing their votes to "yes." HR 6331 would avert the 10.6 percent payment cut to Medicare physicians and provide a positive 1.1 percent payment update in 2009. Sixty-nine votes are enough to override a likely Presidential veto of the bill. The House also passed the measure with enough votes to override a veto. ASTRO members have been contacting their Senators over the last few weeks, urging them to pass the Medicare bill and reverse the cuts, which took effect July 1. According to our records, more than 500 member activists have sent more than 1,000 messages to their Senators. This grassroots activity has greatly surpassed all previous ASTRO grassroots initiatives.
Source: ASTROGRAM
The best proof of love is trust.
Posted by: jordan 7 | November 03, 2010 at 10:37 PM