The Political Voices of Women

Senator Ted Kennedy made a surprise return to the Senate floor yesterday, to help break a Republican filibuster on an important Medicare bill.

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From The New York Times…

Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, flown in virtual secrecy to Washington, stirred the normally staid chamber to a rousing ovation and moved many colleagues to tears when he made a surprise appearance in the Senate in the late afternoon to break a Republican filibuster on a Medicare bill.

From Politico…

The bill — which cleared the House last month — seeks to block a scheduled 10.6 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements for physicians. But to help pay for this spending, it trims back future payments to private health plans under Medicare Advantage, a private market alternative to the government run program for the elderly.For this reason, it has been opposed by the White House. But sensing defeat, as many as eight Republicans switched their votes at the end, and the final 69-30 vote far surpassed the margin needed to cut off debate.Under prior agreement, the measure will now go directly to President Bush, who now faces a situation where two-thirds of both the House and Senate have now opposed his position—more than enough to override a veto.