Medicare Advantage

Jeanne Shaheen speaking at a senior center: Photo Credit: PolitickerNH.comPORTSMOUTH-- U.S. Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) accused U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) of standing up for insurance companies after Sununu voted to uphold President Bush's veto of a recent Medicare bill. Sununu said Shaheen is "out of touch" and that he supported legislation that would have protected Medicare Advantage.

Yesterday the House and Senate overrode Bush's veto of a bill that would have cut Medicare reimbursements to doctors. The version passed by Congress instead will cut payments to insurance companies. In 1998 Congress approved a reduction in reimbursements to doctors as a way to reduce Medicare spending, a provision which went into effect on July 1. However, Congressional Democrats argued that seniors would have a harder time finding doctors if the cut was enacted. The bill will cut payments to companies that run the Medicare Advantage program, which affects over 8,000 Granite State seniors.