[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 122 (Tuesday, August 23, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                DEFICIT REDUCTION AND HEALTH CARE REFORM

  Mr. METZENBAUM. Mr. President, I rise to express my exasperation and 
my dismay at the latest development in the so-called mainstream 
coalition proposal. It seems that this still-developing proposal is now 
emphasizing deficit reduction as a key component, reducing the deficit 
as a component of a health care program. That just takes the cake.
  Just when I had thought I had heard almost every harebrained argument 
on this issue, an even weaker idea surfaces.
  Here we are--late in August--desperately trying to figure out a way 
to help pay for health insurance for the 39 million uninsured Americans 
and this so-called mainstream group insists that unless health care 
reform reduces the deficit, we will leave the uninsured not in the 
mainstream but up the creek.
  This is one of the most callow, heartless ideas that I have ever 
heard of.
  I do not yield to any Member of this body in my concern about 
reducing the deficit. We can reduce the deficit by cutting wasteful 
spending in 1,000 different ways. We can cut back on defense spending, 
on the space program, and a host of other areas--but this Senate is 
never willing to do that. Now this idea comes up we are going to reduce 
the deficit on the backs of 39 million uninsured people in this 
country, by somehow enacting a health care bill that is going to save 
$100 billion.
  It is one thing to make certain that health care reform contains 
costs--and I agree with that; and does nothing to add to the deficit--
and I agree with that.
  But this is a bill about the health insurance crisis. This is not a 
bill about the deficit crisis--a crisis created thanks to 12 long years 
of Republican economic policies.
  It is obviously painful to find the money to cover Americans at risk 
in the health care system. That is not an easy job. But this is simply 
a gimmick to make it impossible. This is a Trojan horse against real 
reform.
  The Clinton, Kennedy, Moynihan, and Mitchell bills all sought to 
improve health insurance coverage for the American people, and although 
I am not totally familiar with the details of it, it is my opinion and 
my understanding that the original Chafee bill had the same objective 
in mind.
  The Clinton and Kennedy bills financed health insurance through 
employer and employee contributions and cuts in the rate of increase in 
Medicare and Medicaid spending.
  Both bills adopted national cost containment measures to control 
total health care spending.
  By honestly paying for health care reform and adopting a national 
cost containment mechanism, both the Clinton and Kennedy bills were 
able to provide health insurance to all Americans and in the process 
provide a modest amount of deficit reduction.
  The Moynihan and Mitchell bills go half of the way.
  Both bills rely on voluntary employer and employee financing and rely 
heavily on Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts to pay for subsidies to 
help low-income Americans afford health insurance.
  Both bills seek to use untried tax incentives and disincentives to 
control health care costs--and I support that.
  Because Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts are insufficient to 
provide adequate subsidies to all needy Americans, neither bill raises 
additional funds for deficit reduction.
  Now, out of the heavens, out of the clouds out of the blue--now comes 
the so-called mainstream proposal. Call it the lame-stream proposal.
  This crowed is too chicken to propose adequate employer financing for 
health insurance.
  Now they have become heartless too.
  To the 39 million Americans who have no health insurance they say, OK 
we'll try to help you out a little bit.
  We'll cut Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor and use 
that money to help the uninsured afford insurance.
  But first, we are going to take $10 billion off the top for deficit 
reduction; $100 billion out of $400 billion in Medicare and Medicaid 
cuts.'' How cruel can you be? How crass can you be?
  One out of every $4 for deficit reduction out of the backs of the 
poor, out of the backs of the aged, out of the backs of the disabled? 
And with no concern, very little, for the uninsured?
  So I hope every senior citizen in the country hears this--the so-
called mainstream wants to cut Medicare and use the money for deficit 
reduction.
  I hope every disabled and low-income person hears this. The so-called 
mainstream wants to cut Medicaid for those who already have inadequate 
health insurance and use the money for deficit reduction.
  I hope every doctor, nurse, and hospital hears this. The so-called 
mainstream wants to cut reimbursement to providers to reduce the 
deficit.
  I hope every employer hears this. The so-called mainstream wants to 
keep shifting health care costs onto employers so that we can reduce 
the deficit.
  What is going on here?
  This is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard of.
  The mainstream is trying to turn health care reform into deficit 
reduction.
  Now I am not saying deficit reduction is not important. I am out here 
on this floor voting time and time again when my colleagues are not, in 
order to cut some of the spending we have for the space program, in 
order to cut any number of other military programs.
  Dale Bumpers comes here regularly and offers to cut back on some of 
these wasteful spending programs in the military and the space program 
and time and time again he winds up with 39 or 40 votes, and 60 votes 
against him. It is important to note if we do health care reform 
right--by insuring all Americans through adequate and honest 
financing--over the long run we will also positively affect the 
deficit.
  But what I am saying is that until every American has health 
insurance, until we are willing to pay for reform honestly and 
adequately, we should not be using health reform to reduce the deficit.
  Mr. President, we are getting seriously off course here.
  The days are dwindling fast. I do not know if health care reform can 
be saved.
  I, for one, strongly hope that it can.
  I will do everything I possibly can to try to compromise, to try to 
work with those who are trying to move toward a decent national health 
care program. But the mainstream program is not the way to go.
  We can insure all Americans. We are spending far too much on health 
care already. We must redistribute those moneys to fairly cover and 
compensate everyone.
  Health care reform done right will help our country and our economy. 
But we must put people first.
  We must provide affordable health insurance to all Americans.
  I yield the floor.

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