[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 160 (Tuesday, October 17, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MEDICARE SUBSTITUTE

                                 ______


                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 17, 1995

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I plan to offer a substitute for H.R. 2425, 
the Medicare Preservation Act of 1995 when it is debated in the House 
of Representatives on Thursday, October 19, 1995. My substitute is very 
simple. It is printed in its entirety in the amendments section of this 
Record. It contains three provisions.
  First, my substitute would establish a bipartisan commission to 
develop recommendations to strengthen and improve the Medicare Program. 
The commission would be required to submit its recommendations to the 
Congress not later than May 1, 1997.
  Second, my substitute would provide for $90 billion less in tax 
reductions than now contemplated by the budget resolution. This would 
be accomplished by an across-the-board limitation on all the tax 
reductions.
  Finally, my substitute would transfer the additional revenues 
resulting from the limitation on the tax reductions into the Medicare 
Part A Trust Fund. This would extend the solvency of that trust fund 
until the year 2006.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no reason to do irrevocable damage to Medicare 
and senior citizens by cutting $270 billion from the program over the 
next 7 years--unless you want to grant excessive tax cuts to the very 
wealthiest of our citizens. The trustees of the fund made it clear that 
an infusion of $90 billion into the Part A Trust Fund will assure 
solvency through 2006.
  My substitute will solve any intermediate problems of the fund now, 
while creating a mechanism by which any long-term problems can be 
addressed in a thoughtful and reasoned manner.
  By this substitute, we truly can preserve, protect, and strengthen 
Medicare for both present and future beneficiaries.

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