[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 77 (Thursday, May 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H5743-H5744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2245
   THE CONTINUED ASSAULT ON OUR NATION'S WORKING FAMILIES AND SENIORS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Vento] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, during the past year, the majority has 
consistently advocated proposals to weaken programs and protections for 
our Nation's working families and seniors. As recent action shows, the 
majority has not been listening to the consistent and concerned voices 
of the American people which have expressed opposition to these 
proposals.
  The majority is once again proposing fundamental changes in Medicare 
and Medicaid, which I might say helps and empowers over 70 million 
Americans gain access to health insurance. Their plan is to change the 
Medicare and Medicaid from programs which assure health care for those 
who need it to programs which limit Federal spending to a defined 
amount. In other words, they are changing them from defined benefit 
programs to defined contribution programs.
  Congress should be acting to expand health care coverage and rein in 
escalating health care costs, but instead, Republicans in this Congress 
are focused on tearing our Nation's health safety net, potentially 
adding millions more to the ranks of the uninsured.
  At the same time, the Republican plan includes tax breaks from $124 
billion to $175 billion over the 6 years, and leaves the option open 
for even additional tax breaks, such as the costly capital gains tax 
break.
  The majority would not need to make such drastic cuts and changes in 
Medicare and Medicaid if they did not insist on providing tax breaks 
for the wealthy.
  Their plan will jeopardize health care for 623,000 Minnesotans who 
are enrolled in Medicare and 443,000 Minnesotans that receive help from 
Medicaid, half of those are children. In other words, 220,000 children 
receive Medicaid in Minnesota. In fact, about 1 in 5 Minnesotans relies 
on Medicaid or Medicare; over a million people.
  The Republican Medicare plan continues to essentially include the 
same policy proposals as last year's plan, drastically cutting payments 
to the providers, restructuring the current programs, and heavily 
relying upon untested medical savings accounts. The medical savings 
accounts proposal has been predicted to cost, at a loss to the Medicare 
trust fund, an estimated $15 billion because Medicare funds would be 
given to healthier, wealthier people who most often do not need medical 
care.
  The claim of extending Medicare solvency is only a pretext for the 
out of context policy the GOP pursues. The Medicare Part A program 
needs changing, but the Republican plan goes too

[[Page H5744]]

far and in the wrong direction, changing Medicare from a reliable 
health care insurance for our seniors to a second-class health care 
system for Medicare recipients.
  Under the Medicare plan, seniors will pay more and get less. The plan 
would allow doctors and hospitals to charge seniors above and beyond 
the established Medicare reimbursement rate. Balance-billing will 
bottom the norm as providers shift more cost to the seniors, the 
proposed cuts by the Republican Congress will show up as bills on the 
backs of the Medicare elderly who earn an average of $10,000 or less 
yearly.
  Perhaps even more damaging than the Medicare cuts are cuts and 
program changes planned for Medicaid. Under the Republican plan 
seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families who receive 
help from Medicaid, would be at risk of losing their coverage. In 
addition, States will be allowed to reduce their own share of funding 
for Medicaid, making the actual cuts more severe than they first 
appear.

  Two-thirds of all nursing home residents receive help from the 
Medicaid system to pay their nursing home bills. The Republican plan 
will allow States to target the assets of seniors' children to help pay 
nursing home bills, which average $38,000 per year. Again, the plan is 
really nothing less than a form of cost-shifting.
  The plan cuts Federal expenditures but does not limit consumer costs. 
In fact, these programs were put in place to permit families to take 
care of themselves when a health care crisis occur. Now, the changes 
being proposed would pull the plug on the 30-year commitment to 
Medicare and Medicaid.
  Republicans have shown that they are indifferent to the elderly and 
willing to send the American working families and seniors the bill for 
tax breaks for the wealthy. But these are not responsible or fair 
priorities for our Nation's future. The American people expect shared 
sacrifice, not cuts for people programs and tax breaks for wealthier 
individuals, but there they go again, hoping that the bumper sticker 
slogan of a tax break will cover up the cuts of people programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the Members of this body to strongly oppose these 
proposals again as were proposed last year.

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