Congress Overturns President’s Veto of the Medicare Bill

The House and Senate both voted today to overturn the President’s veto of H.R. 6331, (Rah! - L.A.S.) the Medicare package that includes the bidding changes and the physicians’ pay adjustment. The key HME provisions are described on the American Association for Homecare website at www.aahomecare.org.

The House voted 383 to 41 to override the President’s veto in mid-afternoon. The Senate then took up the debate in the evening and voted to over turn the veto by a vote of 70 to 26. With the two chambers voting by two-thirds majorities to override the President’s veto, the bill becomes law.

Thank you to all of the providers, state and regional associations, manufacturers, buying groups, consumer groups, disability organizations, and other stakeholders who have worked hard to accomplish this success for homecare providers and patients.
The American Association for Homecare will be working in the weeks ahead to ensure that patients and providers have minimal disruptions. Just today, AAHomecare met with the Acting General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services and was advised that if the override were successful, CMS would issue an immediate fact sheet on the impact of the legislation on providers.

This is a press release from AAhomecare.org -- Check www.aahomecare.org for continued news and details when they become available.