House passes healthcare legislation

According to the Washington Post, Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan, failure to pass this legislation would mean that "physicians will face a 10 percent pay cut that jeopardizes access to care for seniors and the disabled." Representative Dingell is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which held author the bill.

Among the pieces included in the legislation: *elimination of the 10 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians for the remainder of 2008 and provides a 1.1 percent update in Medicare physician payments for 2009. * reduces beneficiary out of pocket costs for mental health care; The White House has threatened to veto the bill, because they believe essentially, that it would, according to the Washington Post, "reduce services and benefits, particularly for elderly patients in rural areas."

Senate leadership hopes to bring the legislation to a vote later this week.