[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 82 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H5938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INCREASED OUT-OF-POCKET LIABILITY FOR SENIORS

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to point out that the Republican 
Medicare plan would drastically increase out of pocket costs for 
seniors citizens. Basically, it is the same thing we had last year. 
Last year the Medicare bill the Republicans passed doubled the Medicare 
part B premium from $46.10 in 1995 to about $89 in 2002. It would have 
increased the Medicare premium by $440 per couple per year. Well, that 
did not work so now the Republican leadership comes up with another 
proposal.
  This year the new Republican proposal would allow doctors to 
overcharge seniors for standard medical procedures. According to the 
Physician Payment Review Commission, a nonpartisan panel of experts 
that advises Congress, this could leave beneficiaries exposed to 
substantial out-of-pocket liability in the range of 40 percent of their 
Medicare bill.
  Under the Republican plan, a senior needing major surgery, for 
example, could end up facing thousands of dollars in medical bills 
which neither Medicare nor Medigap policies would cover. So once again 
the Republicans are substantially increasing out-of-pocket expenses for 
seniors. That is what their Medicare plan is.

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