[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 161 (Wednesday, October 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H10287-H10288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               AMA WRITING KEY PORTIONS OF MEDICARE BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Lipinski] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, cynicism toward our political process 
received another boost last week, as the American Medical Association 
[AMA] received key concessions in return for endorsing the Republican's 
plan to reduce Medicare spending by $270 billion. In return for their 
support, the AMA is being allowed to write key portions of 

[[Page H 10288]]
this plan, molding the cuts with their own best interests in mind.
  The question is, Do they have the interests of senior citizens at 
heart? The answer, Mr. Speaker, sadly, is no.
  I have over 15,000 petitions from the senior citizens of my district 
opposed to the drastic cuts in Medicare. Every day I have dozens more 
calling my office asking me if they can sign a petition. ``How can I 
help, can I circulate more petitions?'' they ask. They tell me of 
hundreds of seniors who have not yet had a chance to have their voices 
heard, but who are very afraid and confused by the Republican Medicare 
proposal.
  What started out as a need to shore up Medicare, so as to keep our 
sacred contract with seniors, has turned into a raid to fund a $245 
billion tax cut for America's wealthiest citizens. The Republicans wave 
a report by the Medicare trustees saying the system is headed toward 
bankruptcy. But nine times in the past, we have faced the threat of the 
trust fund going bankrupt and have dealt with it as it should be dealt 
with now--without fanfare and without partisan propagandizing. The 
report says only $90 billion is needed to insure the solvency of the 
trust fund, but the Republicans insist on cutting $270 billion to pay 
for their tax cut.

  To pay for this tax cut, Medicare recipients will pay more, but they 
will get less in return. By the year 2002, $1,700 less will be spent on 
each beneficiary. However, deductibles will be doubled and premiums 
will skyrocket. Seniors will pay an average of $3,300 more over 7 years 
and will be herded into managed care, forced to give up their own 
doctors. Simply said, seniors will be paying more for less.
  I recently sent a letter to the presidents of the various hospitals 
in my district, asking them to analyze the impact of the Republican 
proposals for Medicare. The president of MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IL 
writes, ``The reductions, as proposed, if implemented, could force 
MacNeal Hospital to close. Over the 7 year period from fiscal years 
1996 through 2002, Medicare reimbursements would decrease by $92 
million. As an employer, it would result in the direct loss of 3,000 
jobs. Needed access for the people of your district to high-quality 
low-cost healthcare would obviously be dramatically and negatively 
affected.''
  The president of West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, IL wrote an 
emotionally moving letter. ``None of the news I have heard sounds 
encouraging. In fact, the question is not how will we serve patients in 
spite of funding shortfalls, but how will we serve them at all.''
  According to figures from the American Hospital Association, this 
plan will result in a reduction in reimbursement to hospitals in 
metropolitan Chicago totaling $2,830,000,000 in fiscal years 1996 to 
2002. Clearly, the Republicans Medicare proposal will hurt not only the 
elderly, but hospitals too, which will cause cost shifting to the 
private payer.
  A respected Chicago newspaper columnist recently noted the quiet 
silence of senior citizens on this proposal. Given the partisan 
rhetoric and the cynicism, it is no surprise that many are not vocally 
taking sides. But with these petitions, thousands have quietly sent me 
a message that this is too much change, much too fast.
  968 pages of a bill to amend title 18 of Social Security Act to 
preserve and reform the Medicare Program, were delivered to me this 
morning. But these 968 pages are not intended to preserve and reform 
the Medicare Program. Rather, they are intended to destroy Medicare's 
security blanket for our seniors, and radically replace it with an 
untried system.
  Mr. Speaker, Medicare was signed into law 30 years ago as a sacred 
commitment with the elderly of America. I will not break that 
commitment. I do not want to see the elderly have to choose between 
paying their doctor's bills and their utility or grocery bills. 
Republicans are big on contracts these days. Let's keep our contract 
with seniors and preserve the Medicare system. I urge my colleagues to 
oppose H.R. 2425.

                          ____________________