[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 157 (Wednesday, October 11, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H9866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MEDICARE REFORM MUST BE BIPARTISAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, the Ways and Means Committee has 
finally completed marking up the Republican Medicare reform bill which 
has had no wide-spread review by all of those to be impacted by such 
drastic legislation. And as demonstrated throughout this saga, my 
Republican colleagues have shown a propensity for distorting the truth 
and stretching the facts. As evidence, I submit the following:
  At the beginning of debate, Democrats protested that the Republican 
majority had delivered a new version of the bill with nine pages of 
revisions in the morning and had not explained them.
  The changes proposed include a stipulation that any savings must be 
used to shore up the Medicare System, but this has been attacked by 
critics, as budget gimmickery because much of the Medicare revenues 
likely can still be tapped for other budget needs, under their plan.
  It was brought to the attention of the Nation and the committee that 
a letter from Health Care Financing Administration head Bruce Vladeck 
claims the Republican proposal and the Democrats' cutting $270 billion 
dollars from Medicare plan to reduce Medicare spending by $90 billion 
over the same timeframe, both would extend the ailing Medicare trust 
fund to exactly the same date--2006. The question then is why this 
enormous cut by the Republicans is required.

  Ways and Means Committee counsel Charles Kahn conceded during the 
markup that because of a bill passed by the House earlier this year 
rescinding a tax under which proceeds were earmarked for the Medicare 
trust fund, the net Republican savings would extend the life of the 
trust fund to only 2006, rather than 2010 as the Republicans have been 
claiming.
  The committee's Democratic members unveiled a substitute consensus 
bill. It would continue to beef up the anti-fraud and abuse efforts, 
revise the way Medicare pays for graduate medical education, and create 
new Medicare benefits to pay for increased mammography screening, 
screening for colorectal cancer, and supplies for diabetics. 
Republicans rejected separate amendments to include the new benefits.
  An amendment by Representative Rangel to provide tax credits to 
primary care doctors and other health professionals who agree to serve 
patients in areas with a shortage of medical personnel was offered in a 
good faith effort to insure good health care for all Americans.
  Medicare can be reformed in a bipartisan manner. Where are my 
Republican colleagues to join me in this effort. Do not destroy 
Medicare!

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