Adding a long-term care benefit to the Medicare program would be a favorable way to help address the impending challenges related to the aging baby-boom generation, healthcare experts say in a new Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare survey.

President Bush today may veto H.R. 6331, a measure that would temporarily delay the full implementation of therapy caps and a 10.6% cut in Medicare physician pay.

Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill Friday said they believed they could override a presidential veto of a Medicare bill that would block implementation of therapy caps and halt a 10.6% cut in Medicare physician pay.

President Bush indicated Thursday that he plans to veto the Medicare bill that would restore the exceptions process for Medicare Part B therapy caps and would block a scheduled physician payment cut.

Rather than wage a budgetary battle with a departing president, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Thursday that the Democratically controlled Congress will likely wait "until Senator Obama becomes president" before passing any annual spending bills.

After keeping the healthcare community in a state of uncertainty for several days, the Senate late Wednesday passed the Medicare bill that continues the exceptions process for Medicare Part B therapy caps and delays other onerous healthcare regulations.

The Brookings Institute will hold a briefing on the future of long-term care reform Friday morning, and the guest list includes some heavy hitters from inside the Beltway.

A healthcare system that proposes giving gift cards to residents and other customers it disappoints with poor service is on firm legal ground, federal regulators say.

Senate Democratic leaders are hoping for a vote on the critical Medicare bill by the end of the week, news and industry sources say.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain drew fire from healthcare providers Monday when he promised to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term, in part, through reductions in Medicare and Medicaid.