[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 169 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE 7 YEAR BALANCED BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT OF 1995

                                 ______


                               speech of

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2491) to 
     provide for reconciliation pursuant to section 105 of the 
     concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1996:

  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2425, and 
to speak on behalf of our communities, hospitals, and the health of 
today's and tomorrow's senior citizens. If we are to bring about 
Medicare reform which will prove to be truly beneficial, we must first 
reach a consensus that reforms must achieve specified goals without 
creating new, more difficult problems.
  In the Pittsburgh area alone, there are seven hospitals which would 
face almost certain shut-down as a result of these proposed cuts. This 
situation is certainly exacerbated by the elimination of 
disproportionate share payments to these hospitals. It is neither 
prudent nor logical to make devastating cuts to Medicare in such an 
arbitrary fashion. The sound thinking, hard-working people of western 
Pennsylvania and across this country will tell you that putting the 
cart before the horse will get Medicare nowhere fast.
  It has been documented that both proposals we are considering today, 
H.R. 2425 and the Democratic alternative, will result in the Medicare 
trust fund being put on sound financial footing through the year 2006. 
However, the Democratic alternative saves $90 billion, all of which is 
put back into the Medicare system, while H.R. 2425 cuts $270 billion, 
far more than is necessary, simply to help pay for huge tax cuts we 
cannot afford.
  A recent national poll shows that 72 percent of those polled oppose 
Medicare cuts being made to pay for tax breaks. One has to question how 
making major cuts to Medicare in a quick fix effort to fund tax breaks 
could be construed by anyone as fiscally conservative.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose the ill-conceived and reckless cuts 
called for in this bill which will not only shake the current 
foundation, but will cause irreparable damage to the health of American 
senior citizens in the future.

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