Medicare Bill Is Not Yet Law as White House Indicates President Will Veto

The White House has indicated that the President intends to veto the Medicare bill that the Congress has passed. If that happens, and may well take place on Tuesday (July 15th), the bill will have to go back to both the House and the Senate for votes to override the veto. It is assumed that both Houses of Congress have the votes required to overcome the veto; however, reports are that the Administration is reaching out to the Republican Senators who voted in favor of the bill in an attempt to convince three Senators to change their votes. Sixty-nine Senators voted for the legislation and 67 votes are needed to override a veto.

The President is under pressure to sign the Medicare bill because, without legislation, the 10.6% cut becomes effective tomorrow, July 15th. This is the date on which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated it will begin to process claims, with a date of service of July 1st or later, reflective of the 10.6% reduction. Even if the President decides to veto the bill, the current odds favor that the Congress will override the veto and the bill will be signed into law.