WASHINGTON -- Hawai`i's congressional delegation joined the majority in overriding President Bush's veto and averting cuts in doctors' payments from Medicare and the Pentagon's health program for military members, veterans and their families.

"Without this legislation, there would be fewer doctors providing Medicare services for senior citizens," said Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai`i. "In spite of that, and knowing that Congress was going to override his voted, President Bush still tried to kill it."

The Senate vote was 70-26 and the House voted 383-41, easily overriding the veto in both chambers. Bush said he opposed congressional efforts to prevent the cuts by taking money out of the Medicare Advantage program that serves 9.6 million people through private insurers.

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai`i, said the president's veto of the bill was "tantamount to medical malpractice."

"We saved Medicare and protected our most vulnerable," Inouye said. "It means that our seniors, our veterans and our active-duty troops and their families will receive the health care they deserve."

"We have a moral obligation to the American people to override the president's veto," said Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai`i. "Out-of-control health care costs affect everyone -- patients, doctors, hospitals, long-term care facilities. It's unfair to ask older Americans to continually bear the brunt."

The 10.6 percent cut to doctors were supposed to take effect July 1 as part of a Medicare cost containment program and may have caused some doctors to stop seeing people on Medicare and the Pentagon's health program, known as Tricare, which derives it's fee schedule from Medicare's.

That potentially could have affected 170,000 Medicare and 157,000 Tricare enrollees in Hawai`i. The bill also contains a provision to provide $15 million to Hawai`i hospitals treating large numbers of Medicaid and uninsured patients. The state would have to provide matching funds.

"Many of our hospitals in Hawai`i desperately need resources," said Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawai`i. "Layoffs have been announced and reductions in services are possible. These ... resources will strengthen the ability of our providers to meet the increasing health care needs of our communities."