[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 20, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H9253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             MORE HEARINGS NEEDED ON MEDICARE AND MEDICAID

  (Mr. WISE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, when I held a town meeting on Medicare last 
week in West Virginia, there was justifiable and understandable 
confusion about the details. Republicans want to cut $270 billion over 
7 years. Democrats say somewhere between $90 and $120 billion will be 
enough. The Republicans argue do they want to take the difference and 
give it to a tax cut?
  Mr. Speaker, people have genuine questions, yet on something like 
this there ought to be more than 1 day of hearings, on programs such as 
Medicare and Medicaid, that affect 70 million Americans. Almost 700,000 
West Virginians alone will have their health care somehow brought into 
question, whether senior citizens or Medicaid recipients. They deserve 
more than health stealth.
  This is a B-2 bomber. I know why they like it on the other side. They 
like it because it is flying low on the radar screen with no details 
out there. They plopped the plan out on the table yesterday and they 
will mark it up today with no hearings on Medicaid, a
 program that affects 400,000 West Virginians. They want to do the same 
on Medicare with 300,000 West Virginians affected.

  Mr. Speaker, surely the single greatest changes in America's health 
care plans deserve more than 1 day of hearings.

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