Thank the Senators Who Voted: Yes

The Senate passed H.R. 6331. YES!  YES!  YES!
18 Republican Senators crossed over to pass this bill to make it "veto proof".

The bill is " Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008"
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of additional preventive services. Provides for gradual elimination of copayment rates for Medicare psychiatric services.


Places prohibitions and limitations on certain sales and marketing activities under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and prescription drug plans.

Requires offering of a range of Medicare supplemental policies.

Extends the qualifying individual program. Provides for application of a full low-income subsidy assets test under the Medicare Savings Program.

Eliminates Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) late enrollment penalties paid by subsidy-eligible individuals.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to states for state health insurance assistance programs, area agencies on aging, and aging and disability resource centers. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for increasing the delivery of mental health services or other health care services to meet the needs of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom living in rural areas. Permits re-basing for sole community hospitals.

Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project for development and testing of new community health integration models in certain rural counties.

Amends the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, as amended by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to extend through FY2009 the reclassification of certain hospitals.

Increases physicians' payments. Revises requirements for and extends the quality reporting system, including incentive payments.

Directs the Secretary to establish a Physician Feedback Program. Provides for:

(1) incentives for electronic prescribing of medicine;

(2) expanded access to primary care services;

(3) extension of the floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and

(4) an accreditation requirement for advanced diagnostic imaging services.

Revises requirements for Medicare anesthesia teaching programs. Makes permanent the exception to the 60-day limit on Medicare reciprocal billing arrangements between two physicians over a longer continuous period during all of which one of them is ordered to active duty as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces.

Provides for coverage of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation.

Extends increased Medicare payments for ground ambulance services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary to establish pilot projects with respect to chronic kidney disease.

Revises requirements for renal dialysis.

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay generally until after 2011 full implementation of the Medicare competitive acquisition program for the purchase of durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Revises such program, dividing its implementation into two rounds, and specifying covered item updates for 2009-2014. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a competitive acquisition ombudsman within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to respond to complaints and inquiries by suppliers and individuals. Provides for phase-out of indirect costs of medical education from capitation rates.

Revises requirements for MA private fee-for-service plans as well as MA plans for special needs individuals.

Modifies requirements for quality improvement programs.

Requires prompt payment of clean claims by prescription drug plans and MA-Prescription Drug plans under Medicare part D. Revises the definition of medically accepted indication for drugs.

Directs the Secretary to:

(1) contract with a consensus-based entity for certain activities relating to health care performance measurement; and

(2) evaluate and report to Congress on approaches for the collection of data regarding health care disparities.

Creates the Medicare Improvement Fund. Extends the transitional medical assistance (TMA), the abstinence education program, and allotments for disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid). Amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend supplemental grants under SSA title IV part D (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF). Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend special diabetes grant programs.



Votes by Senator


Name Voted

Sen. Daniel Akaka [D, HI] Aye

Sen. Lamar Alexander [R, TN] Aye

Sen. Wayne Allard [R, CO] Nay

Sen. John Barrasso [R, WY] Nay

Sen. Max Baucus [D, MT] Aye

Sen. B. Evan Bayh [D, IN] Aye

Sen. Robert Bennett [R, UT] Nay

Sen. Joseph Biden [D, DE] Aye

Sen. Jeff Bingaman [D, NM] Aye

Sen. Christopher Bond [R, MO] Nay

Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA] Aye

Sen. Sherrod Brown [D, OH] Aye

Sen. Samuel Brownback [R, KS] Nay

Sen. Jim Bunning [R, KY] Nay

Sen. Richard Burr [R, NC] Nay

Sen. Robert Byrd [D, WV] Aye

Sen. Maria Cantwell [D, WA] Aye

Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D, MD] Aye

Sen. Thomas Carper [D, DE] Aye

Sen. Robert Casey [D, PA] Aye

Sen. C. Saxby Chambliss [R, GA] Aye

Sen. Hillary Clinton [D, NY] Aye

Sen. Thomas Coburn [R, OK] Nay

Sen. Thad Cochran [R, MS] Nay

Sen. Norm Coleman [R, MN] Aye

Sen. Susan Collins [R, ME] Aye

Sen. Kent Conrad [D, ND] Aye

Sen. Bob Corker [R, TN] Aye

Sen. John Cornyn [R, TX] Aye

Sen. Larry Craig [R, ID] Nay

Sen. Michael Crapo [R, ID] Nay

Sen. Jim DeMint [R, SC] Nay

Sen. Christopher Dodd [D, CT] Aye

Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R, NC] Aye

Sen. Pete Domenici [R, NM] Nay

Sen. Byron Dorgan [D, ND] Aye

Sen. Richard Durbin [D, IL] Aye

Sen. John Ensign [R, NV] Nay

Sen. Michael Enzi [R, WY] Nay

Sen. Russell Feingold [D, WI] Aye

Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA] Aye

Sen. Lindsey Graham [R, SC] Nay

Sen. Charles Grassley [R, IA] Nay

Sen. Judd Gregg [R, NH] Nay

Sen. Charles Hagel [R, NE] Nay

Sen. Thomas Harkin [D, IA] Aye

Sen. Orrin Hatch [R, UT] Nay

Sen. Kay Hutchison [R, TX] Aye

Sen. James Inhofe [R, OK] Nay

Sen. Daniel Inouye [D, HI] Aye

Sen. John Isakson [R, GA] Aye

Sen. Tim Johnson [D, SD] Aye

Sen. Edward Kennedy [D, MA] Aye

Sen. John Kerry [D, MA] Aye

Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D, MN] Aye

Sen. Herbert Kohl [D, WI] Aye

Sen. Jon Kyl [R, AZ] Nay

Sen. Mary Landrieu [D, LA] Aye

Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D, NJ] Aye

Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT] Aye

Sen. Carl Levin [D, MI] Aye

Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I, CT] Aye

Sen. Blanche Lincoln [D, AR] Aye

Sen. Richard Lugar [R, IN] Nay

Sen. Mel Martinez [R, FL] Aye

Sen. John McCain [R, AZ] Abstain

Sen. Claire McCaskill [D, MO] Aye

Sen. Mitch McConnell [R, KY] Nay

Sen. Robert Menendez [D, NJ] Aye

Sen. Barbara Mikulski [D, MD] Aye

Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R, AK] Aye

Sen. Patty Murray [D, WA] Aye

Sen. Ben Nelson [D, NE] Aye

Sen. Bill Nelson [D, FL] Aye

Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL] Aye

Sen. Mark Pryor [D, AR] Aye

Sen. John Reed [D, RI] Aye

Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV] Aye

Sen. Pat Roberts [R, KS] Aye

Sen. John Rockefeller [D, WV] Aye

Sen. Ken Salazar [D, CO] Aye

Sen. Bernard Sanders [I, VT] Aye

Sen. Charles Schumer [D, NY] Aye

Sen. Jefferson Sessions [R, AL] Nay

Sen. Richard Shelby [R, AL] Nay

Sen. Gordon Smith [R, OR] Aye

Sen. Olympia Snowe [R, ME] Aye

Sen. Arlen Specter [R, PA] Aye

Sen. Debbie Ann Stabenow [D, MI] Aye

Sen. Ted Stevens [R, AK] Aye

Sen. John Sununu [R, NH] Nay

Sen. Jon Tester [D, MT] Aye

Sen. John Thune [R, SD] Nay

Sen. David Vitter [R, LA] Nay

Sen. George Voinovich [R, OH] Aye

Sen. John Warner [R, VA] Aye

Sen. Jim Webb [D, VA] Aye

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D, RI] Aye

Rep. Roger Wicker [R, MS-1] Nay

Sen. Ron Wyden [D, OR] Aye

Please call, write or send an email to the Senators who voted yes and tell them "Thank You!" 
One down and ten to go,
So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".