ASHINGTON -- In a swift rebuke to President Bush, Congress voted overwhelmingly today to override his veto of a Medicare bill that would forestall pay cuts to doctors who treated seniors, the disabled and military personnel.

The House voted 383 to 41 to block the president's veto. A short time later, the Senate voted 70 to 26 to reject Bush's objections to the bill.


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The pay cut to doctors would have taken effect today. Some observers worried that it would have led many doctors to stop treating Medicare patients.

The bill, called the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, halts a scheduled 10.6% cut in payments to physicians and instead institutes a 1.1% payment increase in 2009.

The bill improves preventive and mental health benefits, increases access to physical, occupational and speech and language therapy, and increases help for low-income Medicare recipients with their out-of-pocket and prescription drug costs.

Bush and many Republicans opposed the bill because funds to prevent the cut in doctor payments will come from more than $12 billion in payment cuts to private insurance companies that offer coverage under the private Medicare Advantage program, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield.