[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 77 (Wednesday, May 10, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




MEDICARE CUTS PROPOSED BY REPUBLICANS WILL RESULT IN FEWER SERVICES TO 
                               AMERICANS

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, let me point out that the Republicans are 
talking about saving and improving Medicare by cutting it. We just 
cannot believe that. If we talk about cuts to Medicare as well as 
Medicaid, it is going to have a direct impact on senior citizens, in 
the case of Medicare, and a direct impact on poor people with regard to 
Medicaid.
  There are only certain choices that exist when Medicare is cut. First 
of all, we will have higher copayments. Seniors will have to pay more 
money out of their own pocket, or they will have increased deductibles 
before they get benefits. Again, they will have to pay out of their own 
pocket.
  The other option is that the reimbursement rate to hospitals or 
doctors will go down. That means a lot of doctors or even hospitals 
will not accept Medicare patients. A lot of seniors in New Jersey now 
know they cannot find doctors who will accept Medicare or even 
Medicaid.
  The other option is that the hospitals simply reduce the quality of 
services, or do not provide the services that they normally do because 
they are not getting the money through a reduced reimbursement rate. 
There is a direct impact on hospitals, on the provisions of how medical 
care and health care is provided to senior citizens. There is no way 
around that if we make the cuts that are being proposed by the 
Republicans.


                          ____________________