[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 8, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H11909-H11910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AN INCREASE IN MEDICARE PREMIUMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to address the fact that today, 
once again, but this time in the context of the continuing resolution, 
the Republican leadership has imposed the increase in Medicare part B 
premium payments under Medicare. As we know, when the Medicare bill 
that was sponsored or that was advocated by Speaker Gingrich and also 
by the Republican leadership came to the House floor a couple weeks 
ago, it actually doubled part B premiums under Medicare. That is, the 
Medicare Program that covers physician care, over the next 7 years 
would essentially double for Medicare recipients and those who 
participate in the Medicare Program.
  We know that at this point the legislation, both the budget and the 
Medicare bill, are in conference. It was also included in the Budget 
Act, and the Senate and the House have yet to meet on the budget which 
includes those Medicare provisions.
  But while that is pending, today in the context of the continuing 
resolution, the Medicare premium increase 

[[Page H 11910]]
was included. Essentially under current law, as of January 1, the part 
B premium drops from 31 percent, 31.5 percent of the cost, down to 25 
percent of the cost, which is what was scheduled under current law.
  But the continuing resolution today would put the 31.5 percent back 
into law as of January 1, which is essentially an increase for millions 
of senior citizens who simply cannot afford to pay for that increase 
that would occur if this continuing resolution ultimately becomes law, 
which I hope it does not.
  I wanted to point out--that so far the conferees on the budget--which 
includes the Medicare part B increases as well as the tax cuts for the 
wealthy that will be offset for the cuts in Medicare--so far the budget 
conferees have not met, and what we believe is happening is that the 
Republican leadership is essentially making Medicare deals in secret, 
meeting behind the scenes to see how they are going to implement this 
tax cut for wealthy Americans in order to offset the cuts in Medicare 
that are going to devastate the Medicare Program.
  I was actually appointed by the Democratic leadership to be one of 
the conferees, but we have yet to have a public session. I think the 
reason for that is obvious, that they would rather meet behind the 
scenes. The Republican leadership would rather meet behind the scenes 
to see how they are essentially going to destroy and make these severe 
cutbacks in both Medicare care and Medicaid without the public and the 
media really knowing what is going on.

  One of the things I am most concerned about as a conferee, and I 
hoped was going to take place, is we find some way, when we bring the 
two budget bills together between the House and the Senate, to continue 
entitlement status for Medicaid, for disabled people, for children, and 
also for pregnant women.

                              {time}  2045

  Right now, if an individual meets certain income requirements under 
Medicaid, they are entitled to Medicaid and they do have their health 
insurance coverage. Well, the House bill, the House budget bill 
basically eliminates that entitlement status and just gives money in 
block grants to the States and hopes that the States will provide 
Medicare health care coverage for various indigent people. But the 
Senate bill, fortunately, does continue to provide entitlement status, 
guaranteed health care coverage for children for the disabled and for 
pregnant women.
  Mr. Speaker, today in the Washington Post there was an article that 
basically summarized what was in the Journal of the American Medical 
Association that pointed out that Medicaid has been a significant 
factor in guaranteeing health care coverage for children. Over the last 
few years, the number of children that have been provided with health 
care coverage, because their parents worked, through additional private 
insurance, has actually decreased and Medicaid has taken up the slack. 
The Federal Government has provided for the expansion of Medicaid and 
given money to the States so that they can provide that coverage for 
children.
  Without the entitlement status, which is what we have in the House 
bill, without the guarantee that children would be covered, which is in 
the Senate bill, if for some reason the conference comes together and 
does not provide that guarantee for children, we are going to see that 
safety net for children, where they have the guaranteed health 
insurance, probably continue to be whittled away. Because States with 
the limited amount of block grant money they get from the Federal 
Government would not be able to continue to cover all the children that 
will continue to lose health insurance as the numbers continue to 
decrease of those who are covered by private insurance.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say lastly that yesterday in New Jersey we had 
elections at the State as well as the county and local level. It was 
abundantly clear that the message that Democrats have been trying to 
make, that Republican Medicare cuts and Medicaid cuts are really going 
to hurt people, we got that message, because a number of Democrats were 
elected yesterday because they made the point on the Medicare message 
and the fact that the Republican leadership is cutting Medicare.

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