GOP senators pressed on Medicare

Alex Daniels

WASHINGTON - Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee, including Arkansas’ Sen. Blanche Lincoln, pressed their Republican colleagues on Tuesday to switch their votes and approve changes in the federal Medicare program, which provides health care for the aging.

“We’re in the hunt for one more vote,” said Colorado’s Sen. Ken Salazar.

He joined Lincoln and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana in front of a backdrop that read “Support Seniors, Support Doctors,” at a news conference in the Capitol.

On June 26, proponents of the bill came one vote shy of the 60 votes needed on a procedural vote to cut off debate and proceed to the substance of the bill. Nine Republicans crossed party lines.

The House easily passed its version of the bill, called the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, 355-59. The bill would restore reimbursement rates for doctors who participate in Medicare. As part of a preset formula, rates were set to drop by 10.6 percent on July 1. That date has been pushed back to July 15.

“I’m at the point where I can no longer accept the payments Medicare provides,” said Dr.Willarda Edwards of Baltimore, president of the National Medical Association, who joined the senators at the news conference. The National Medical Association is a member-based organization for black health-care providers.

The administration opposes the bill because of limitations it would place on private insurers participating in the Medicare Advantage program. Such feefor-service plans were allowed totake part beginning in 2000. Now, about 1.9 million of the 44 million Americans using Medicare use a private provider.

Lincoln criticized the program because it does not offer patients a broad network of providers. She said private fee-for-service providers under the program were “multiplying like rabbits,” because they are subsidized a “ridiculous” amount, on average 20 percent more than regular Medicare providers.

The bill would also eliminate co-payments for psychiatric coverage, cancel late fees for participants in the Medicare’s prescription-drug plan and extend increased payments for ambulance services.

The Senate is expected to take up the matter again today.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 07/09/2008

Copyright © 2008, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.

All rights reserved.

This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.

Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2008, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. All rights reserved.