[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MEDICARE OVERBILLING

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the House Republican plan on 
Medicare calls for $168 billion in cuts in the growth, as they say. 
They say they need to cut this much in order to save Medicare, but the 
President's budget saves Medicare for $44 billion less in the cuts in 
growth.
  Perhaps this is the Republican majority way of paying for financially 
irresponsible tax cuts. These are the same tax cuts that increase the 
deficit for the next 2 years. We will not hear that from that 
microphone over there.
  But there is more. In the Speaker Gingrich House Republican Medicare 
plan there is a provision that would allow health care providers to 
bill seniors more now than they are for current services paid for by 
Medicare. So, in other words, not only are we going to cut Medicare but 
seniors are going to have to pay more for services that have been 
provided by Medicare. The Gingrich plan would weaken the provision, 
thereby opening the door for higher out-of-pocket expenses for our 
seniors.
  The Republican majority's first priority is tax cuts, even though 
they increase the deficit. Then they want to cut Medicare, education, 
and all the rest in order to pay for it. These are not the priorities 
of the American people.

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