Bush's Medicare veto overridden

WASHINGTON, July 15 (UPI) -- Congress voted Tuesday to override U.S. President George Bush's veto of a bill restoring money cut from Medicare payments to doctors.

Both houses easily surpassed the two-thirds majority needed to overturn Bush's veto -- 70-26 in the Senate and 383-41 in the House of Representatives, The Hill reported. Bush has been overridden just three times, the Washington newspaper noted.

The Republican president had tried to stop the measure earlier in the day, saying he backs restoration of the 10.6 percent in payments, but not the method used to fund it, The Hill said.

Congress moved money from private Medicare Advantage plans.

"Taking choices away from seniors to pay physicians is wrong," Bush said. "I urge the Congress to send me a bill that reduces the growth in Medicare spending, increases competition and efficiency, implements principles of value-driven health care and appropriately offsets increases in physician spending."

Bush said the bill would risk prescription benefits available through Medicare Part D and hurt the 9.6 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.

A number of Republican senators joined in the override.