[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 74 (Friday, May 5, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S6224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CONFERENCE ON AGING

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want to congratulate the White House 
Conference on Aging which, as I understand it, just this afternoon 
passed a resolution that I ask unanimous consent be made part of the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    Protecting Medicare and Medicaid

       Whereas Congress is beginning an historic debate on 
     Medicare and Medicaid as the 1995 White House Conference on 
     Aging deliberates on its recommendations to the Nation;
       Whereas U.S. health care cost and coverage shortcomings 
     continue to go unaddressed;
       Whereas health care reform and the solvency of the Medicare 
     Trust Fund are inextricably intertwined;
       Whereas the opening session of the Conference heard 
     statements of support for Medicare and Medicaid from both 
     Democratic and Republican members of Congress; and
       Whereas the President in his address challenged the 
     delegates to come together on a multigenerational, bipartisan 
     basis to address the problems facing the nation. Therefore, 
     be it,
       Resolved by the 1995 White House Conference on Aging to 
     support policies that:
       Address problems facing the Medicare and Medicaid programs 
     in the context of broad-based health care reform, as the 
     President has proposed;
       Oppose massive cuts soon to be considered in Congress;
       Protect Medicare and Medicaid from any steps backwards by 
     way of reduced health care or long term care coverage;
       Apply any savings that may come from changes in Medicare 
     and Medicaid as a result of health care reform to strengthen 
     the programs and expand coverage, including long term care, 
     rather than to meet arbitrary deficit reduction targets;
       Prohibit additional costs being put on beneficiaries that 
     would make health care unaffordable;
       Maintain quality, preserve choice of provider and oppose 
     proposals that have the effect of financially coercing 
     beneficiaries into plans that do not guarantee access to 
     their own physicians;
       Prohibit the use of savings in Medicare and Medicaid for 
     tax cuts for well off citizens.

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the resolution is entitled ``Protecting 
Medicare and Medicaid.''
  The important part of the resolution simply says:

       Therefore, be it Resolved by the 1995 White House 
     Conference on Aging to support policies that:
       Address problems facing the Medicare and Medicaid programs 
     in the context of broad-based health care reform, as the 
     President has proposed;
       Oppose massive cuts soon to be considered in Congress;
       Prohibit the use of savings in Medicare and Medicaid for 
     tax cuts for well-off citizens.

  I think it is very important that everyone understand the 
ramifications of the proposals to cut Medicare in the budget 
resolution. It would simply be the largest insurance rate hike in 
Medicare history. The plan would cost $900 per person in additional 
out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare recipients by the year 2002, a 
total of about $3,500 over the next 7 years. We cannot accept that. I 
do not believe that the vast majority of the American people will 
accept it. Certainly, if this resolution is any indication, senior 
citizens across the country, represented by the White House Conference 
on Aging, will not accept it as part of our budget, as part of any plan 
relating to Medicare reform this year.
  So I am very pleased with the action taken by the White House 
conference. I hope we can talk more about that in the coming days.

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