Victory!  Medicare Veto Overridden!

We’ve done it!  Despite a veto by the President earlier today, both the House and Senate have voted to override the veto and enact the Medicare bill (H.R. 6331).  This action is final – the Medicare bill will now become the law of the land. 

The override succeeded in the House by an overwhelming 383-41 vote, gaining the support of all Democrats present and 153 Republicans, 24 more than voted for the bill on June 24.

On the Senate side, the vote was 70-26, gaining the support of all Democrats present and 21 Republicans, including new YES votes by Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Kit Bond (R-MO).

This is a huge victory for psychology.  Due to your tireless efforts, H.R. 6331 will restore for 18 months $45 million to psychotherapy and related services cut as a result of the five-year review, halt the 10.6% Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cut, provide a 1.1% update for 2009, and phase in Medicare coinsurance parity.  Please stay tuned in the days and weeks ahead as we provide more information on what the enactment of this critical legislation will mean for your patients, your practice, and your profession.

Congratulations!