Last month, we talked about an urgent need for the Senate to act on behalf of seniors and veterans by protecting Medicare.  I am happy to report back to you that, with the help of Senator Kennedy’s emotional return for the vote, I recently led the Senate in passing a groundbreaking bill that will ensure continued access to Medicare for hundreds of thousands of Nevadans.  

The President chose to veto this good legislation, but my colleagues in the Senate and the House overrode that veto to make this bill law.
 
In passing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act we reversed a 10.6 percent cut in payments to physicians who provide crucial care to seniors, military families and the disabled. These doctors will instead receive a nominal increase in payments that will discourage them from eliminating coverage for the people in our community who most need it.
 
Enacting this law is a major step, and I will make sure Medicare works better for every Nevada senior, and TRICARE works better for our troops.  I will continue to oppose increases in TRICARE premiums and other unwarranted forms of raising veterans medical care costs, as I have throughout my time serving you in the Senate. We must maintain the promises we’ve made to our veterans by providing them everything they’ve earned.
 
I’m also pleased to report that Congress will allocate $341 million for the new Veterans Association Southern Nevada Health Care System Medical Complex located off the Las Vegas Beltway in the northern part of the valley.  When the complex is completed in 2012, it will host 90 inpatient beds, a 120-bed nursing home care unit, an ambulatory care center, administrative and support functions, and space for veterans’ benefits and administration offices.  What a wonderful addition this will be for our veterans, and I will make sure this project gets what it needs to stay on track.
 
I will continue working to advance the best interests of Nevada’s seniors and veterans, and to improve our health care system.  To read about the work I’m doing for Nevada, or to contact me, please visit my website at reid.senate.gov.