House passes bill to stop cuts to physician reimbursements

In a show of force yesterday, a bill to stop a 10.6 percent cut in physician reimbursements--one President Bush likely will veto anyway--passed overwhelmingly in the House with a vote of 355 to 59. The cuts, set to go into effect July 1, would urge more physicians to refuse care to Medicare enrollees. A similar bill last week failed to gain enough support in the Senate to proceed to a vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to try again before the end of the week, but getting the necessary votes in the Senate is expected to be far more difficult than it was with the House. The President is expected to veto the bill in part because it includes reductions to Medicare Advantage.

For more information:
- read the full Wall Street Journal story
- also check out the Washington Post story