Rarely when debating major legislation, does a bill have the strong and diverse support like that of the bipartisan Medicare improvement bill just approved by Congress. Kansas seniors, doctors, pharmacists, hospitals, military families and I all worked together to pass this bill.

We preserved seniors' access to care and improved the care they received.

Doctors don't have to worry about an unworkable 10 percent cut in reimbursements from Medicare.

Pharmacists will be promptly paid under Medicare and will not face cuts in reimbursements, preserving critical care local pharmacies provide to Kansans -- changes I have long sought.

And finally, as a member of the Finance Committee -- which oversees Medicare -- and as co-chair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, I saw to it the bill contains important provisions I wrote to address the challenges of health care in rural America.

It has been my pleasure to work with so many Kansans on this legislation. It is clear that support from the Kansas AARP, Kansas

Medical Society, Kansas Hospital Association, Kansas Pharmacists Association, and all of the other military, provider and patient groups helped get this bill approved. It was unfortunate the president chose to veto it, but I am glad Congress swiftly voted to override. Improvements to Medicare are on the way.

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.