WASHINGTON — Late Tuesday, the House and Senate voted by wide margins to override a presidential veto of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, thus enacting the bill into law. Among the pharmacy measures is one that delays implementation of drastic Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement cuts until September 2009. In both the House and Senate, votes were switched to support the measure after the veto, said Cathy Polley, vice president, pharmacy services, Food Marketing Institute, Arlington, Va. “We still need to work with Congress to secure a long-term fix and make sure that we continue to be able to serve our patients. But we are delighted with the outcome from yesterday,” she told SN. “When you can get both bodies to vote in favor of it, and to hold on to override a veto, it certainly says the legislators were listening to what people in pharmacy thought is best for the industry and best for the customers,” added Randy Heiser, vice president, pharmacy, Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh.

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