REFLECTION: Senator Ted Kennedy’s Medicare Vote

Although I voted for John F. Kennedy in 1960, I have not been a rabid fan of Senator Ted Kennedy. However, I was happy on July 9th to read in the Boston Globe that he took a break from his brain cancer treatment and returned to the Senate to cast the deciding vote to end a filibuster on a long delayed Medicare bill.

The Republican filibuster was aimed at preventing legislation that would void a 10.6 percent cut to doctors for treatment of Medicare patients, a cut that would result in even more doctors refusing to take Medicare patients. Democrats proposed to pay for the move by cutting payments to fee-for-service Medicare Advantage, which costs 17 percent more than Medicare would spend if it delivered the services itself.

The bill eventually passed, and with the help of some Republicans received enough votes to make it veto proof.

Said Kennedy before his vote to end the filibuster, “I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens – and that’s to protect Medicare. . . . So today I proudly cast this important vote for them -- a vote to keep the Medicare program strong and effective for the future."

Thank you, Senator Kennedy, and best wishes for your recovery.

Comments on this reflection? Email us

Copyright©2008