Prometheus 6

Two things turned that around. The American Medical Association used a vigorous advertising campaign against Republican senators who were blocking a vote on the bill, cowing them into retreat. And the ailing Senator Edward Kennedy made a dramatic appearance on the Senate floor to guarantee a Democratic victory, at which point Republicans started switching sides. ...The House overrode the president’s veto by a thumping 383 to 41, with 153 Republicans defying the president. The Senate vote was a convincing 70 to 26, with 21 Republicans abandoning the White House.

Welcome Rout on Medicare

The surprising thing about the intense Congressional struggle over a modest bill to improve Medicare was how quickly it turned from a cliffhanger into a rout. President Bush’s veto was easily overridden as Republicans in droves abandoned his misguided effort to help the insurance industry hold on to its large subsidies.

We hope this means that the next Congress will be emboldened to make more far-reaching reforms in Medicare to help keep the system solvent and able to provide high-quality care for older Americans.

The primary purpose of the bill, supported by both parties, was to forestall a 10.6 percent cut in payments to doctors that would otherwise be mandated under a longstanding funding formula. The cut could have led some doctors to opt out of the Medicare program, and many older Americans would have found it harder to find treatment.

The Democrats sensibly decided instead to find the savings with a moderate reduction in the 13 percent average subsidy lavished on private health plans that participate in Medicare. That was a red flag for Congressional Republicans who want private plans to dominate Medicare — and the primary reason for Mr. Bush’s veto.