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Senate Democratic leaders are poised to blame Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the chamber’s failure to advance Medicare legislation.
The measure that would avert a sharp cut in payments to physicians stalled in the Senate on June 26 by one vote. McCain, the GOP presidential candidate, did not attend the vote and has yet to declare his position on the issue.
Any one of the 39 Republicans who voted no could rescue McCain from a politically damaging situation. One GOP leadership aide hinted that Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, among the no votes, is “concerned” about the impasse but has yet to reveal her intentions.
Hutchison would not comment on whether she would reverse course and support advancing the bill, her spokesman said.
In the meantime, Democrats keep pointing to McCain.
“There’s nothing to stop [the cut] unless the Republican senators give us one more vote, and we’d like to know where John McCain is on the issue,” said Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, a national co-chairman of fellow Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
The stalemate has prompted doctors’ groups to launch blistering attacks against Republicans who supported the filibuster. The bill would prevent a 10.6 percent cut in payment rates for doctors who operate under Medicare, and would be paid for by cuts to private plans known as Medicare Advantage, a central point of contention.
The Arizona Medical Association has been quiet about McCain. He has largely dodged criticism from the national group as well as from his Senate GOP colleagues, who have borne the brunt of the criticism through televised attack ads.
With Democrats planning to bring the bill back up for a critical test vote Wednesday, they are now prepared to pinpoint McCain if they cannot advance a measure that doctors’ groups say is needed to ensure access is not cut to Medicare for the elderly and military veterans.
“If we don’t get 60 votes, the Republicans are going to have to live with that,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said.
The same may be true for some doctors’ groups.
“We’ve been asking a lot of the same questions about McCain,” said Christian Shalgian, interim director of the American College of Surgeons. “He’s ducking this vote, and we don’t know why.”
Spokesmen in McCain’s Senate and campaign offices did not respond to inquiries seeking comment. The Arizona group also did not return several telephone calls seeking comment.
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