[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 146 (Tuesday, September 19, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H9143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO REFORM MEDICAID

  (Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, this morning I would like to talk 
about Government program ``A.'' Can you guess what Government program 
``A'' is? Here are some hints: First and foremost, it is a bureaucratic 
nightmare.
  Second, it is riddled with fraud. In fact, the U.S. Justice 
Department estimates that nearly 10 percent of its money is lost to 
fraud every year.
  Third, its rate of growth is both astronomical and unsustainable.
  What is Government program ``A''? Well, given my clues I know there 
are a lot of candidates, but today I am speaking about Medicaid.
  And today, Republicans will introduce legislation to reform Medicaid. 
We will save costs by eliminating needless bureaucracy, cutting fraud 
and abuse, and allowing State and local officials to run the program in 
the most efficient manner possible. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle to support this important reform effort.

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