[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 5, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H5926-H5927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE REPORT OF THE MEDICARE TRUSTEES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii [Mrs. Mink] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join my colleagues 
on this side of the aisle in discussing the Medicare situation. Today 
the headlines all across the country will be repeating the report of 
the trustees that in their estimation and in conservative estimates 
that by the year 2001 the trust fund, which pays for the hospital costs 
of the Medicare program, will run out of money. That is that the taxes 
collected under the health insurance program will be insufficient to 
meet the needs of the senior citizens who are qualified for this 
program.
  In forecasting this outcome in the year 2001, we have to understand 
that since this program took effect in 1965, that almost every year, or 
at least every 2 years since then, the trustees have met and have also 
recommended each time dire consequences of near bankruptcy, and in some 
cases, within 1 or 2 years. Congress has, in each instance, looked at 
the Medicare Program, tried to make modification in order to avert the 
crisis, and each time that this report was made by the trustees, the 
Congress has acted.
  We are in no different a circumstance than has been the case over the 
last 20 or 30 years.

                              {time}  2315

  So in trying to take advantage of the trustees' reports today, I want 
to join my colleagues in saying that that is really not a reason or 
justification to run roughshod over a system that has made such 
dramatic changes for our senior citizens for the better.
  When you look at what the situation was prior to 1965, you will find 
seniors almost virtually without health care protection, and the 
outcome was that their children practically had to pay for the costs of 
medical care. That was the condition of our society prior to 1965. 
Today, senior citizens have the assurance and the protection of a 
Medicare system.
  So what we are talking about today and what this whole debate is all 
about is not frightening seniors. That is not the issue. The issue is 
the Republican plan which has been brought forth to the Congress and 
discussed by the media across the Nation, and it is the Republican 
proposal to restructure Medicare which has frightened literally the 
seniors across the land, basically because they are not willing to 
accept the argument of the Speaker that says, we are not doing any 
damage to the system; we are simply slowing the growth in order to make 
sure that the deficits are controllable or that we can yield a zero 
deficit in 7 years.

  Well, the whole problem with this debate which the Speaker has now 
attempted to refocus about reducing the costs is that what we are faced 
with today is a system of providing universal care to the seniors. If 
we are going to go with the drastic cuts that the Republicans are 
making over this 6- or 7-year period, through restructuring, we are 
going to end intellectual property with a Medicare system that is 
vastly different, which is not going to provide the kind of protection 
that the seniors have enjoyed today.
  Under the current Medicare plan, seniors across the country are 
provided certain fixed benefits that they can be assured of if they 
should require hospitalization. We are only talking about the part A 
plan. Part B plan is not involved in this trustees' forecast of running 
out of money by the year 2001.
  So as we look at the 6- and 7-year period, which is what the 
Committee on the Budget is doing in terms of looking at the 7-year 
deficit, we have to consider that the forecast by which the Committee 
on the Budget under the chairmanship of the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. 
Kasich] is doing, forecasting 7 years, is precisely what we have to do 
with respect to Medicare.
  It is the Congressional Budget Office, their own office which is 
saying that given the current plan, given the current benefits, given 
the current way in

[[Page H5927]]

which Medicare operates that this is the cost of the program that has 
to be anticipated.
  So if we do not follow those cost estimates by the CBO and we come in 
with $100 billion, $200 billion cut, that is a cut; no way other than 
that is an explanation of what the Republican plan is all about.
  So I caution the seniors not to get confused. What we are dealing 
with here is a major, drastic cut of the Medicare Program, and the 
dollars are important, but it is the restructuring of this program that 
is far more devastating.

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