Bush To Veto Medicare Pay Bill

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

WASHINGTON — President Bush intends to block a bill protecting doctors from a cut in their Medicare pay, even though Congress seemingly has enough votes to override his veto, a White House spokesman indicated on yesterday.

To pay for rescinding the 10.6% rate cut, lawmakers would reduce spending on private health insurers serving about 9 million elderly and disabled patients through Medicare Advantage.

That reduced spending — about $13.5 billion over five years — would slow enrollment growth. The White House predicts that about 2 million fewer people would take part in the program. That would leave enrollment at about 12 million in five years, versus the 14.3 million now anticipated.

“Taking choices away from seniors in order to pay for the reimbursements for physicians is the wrong way to pass this bill and to extend the reimbursements that we want to see physicians get,” a White House spokesman, Tony Fratto, said.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use