WASHINGTON — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, battling a brain tumor, walked through a wall of applause and into the Senate on Wednesday and cast a dramatic, decisive vote on long-stalled Medicare legislation.
“Aye,” the 76-year-old Kennedy said in a loud voice, smiling broadly and making a thumbs-up gesture as he registered his vote.
Spectators in the galleries that overhang the chamber burst into cheers — a violation of decorum that drew no complaints.
The Massachusetts senator made his way into the Senate on his own power, appearing little the worse for his illness. A patch of scalp was clearly visible through his familiar white hair, although it was not clear whether that was a result of surgery he underwent or the effects of chemotherapy or radiation that are part of his treatment.
He walked into the chamber accompanied by Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, his party’s presidential nominee-in-waiting, as well as fellow Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and Kennedy’s son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island.
Kennedy’s dramatic return gave Democrats the impetus they needed to free Medicare legislation from gridlock. It had received 59 votes on an earlier test, one short of the 60 needed to advance.
Kennedy made 60, and when Republicans saw the outcome was sealed, several of them joined Democrats to pad the margin. The House already has overwhelmingly approved the measure.
Lawmakers are under pressure from doctors and the elderly patients they serve to void a 10.6 percent pay cut for doctors treating Medicare patients. It kicked in July 1 because of a funding formula that establishes lower reimbursement rates when Medicare spending levels exceed established targets. Some doctors say they’ll quit taking new patients if the cuts stand.
President Bush’s advisers have said they will recommend that he veto the bill.
Medicare officials will not make any payments at the reduced rate until July 15 at the earliest.
Every year, Congress confronts the task of voiding Medicare rate cuts for doctors.
