[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 5 (Tuesday, February 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H110-H111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              MEDICARE VENIPUNCTURE SENIORS PROTECTION ACT

  (Mr. ADERHOLT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Medicare 
Venipuncture Seniors Protection Act. This bill will delay the 
implementation of a section in the Balanced Budget Act which changes 
the Medicare coverage for venipuncture, or the drawing of blood.
  By delaying the implementation of this provision for 18 months, we 
will be able to study the impact of this change on the elderly and the 
frail more closely. I fear that, without closer examination, we may 
make a rash decision which could be devastating to the health care 
needs of many of our country's seniors.
  I fully support eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse from the Medicare 
program, but throwing the baby out with the bath water is not the 
answer, and that is exactly what the change in venipuncture coverage 
may do.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join with me in fighting to make 
sure

[[Page H111]]

that our seniors are protected during this change and that no one who 
depends on this home health care service is left out in the cold.

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