[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SUPPORTING H.R. 3137

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                        HON. WILLIAM L. JENKINS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 1998

  Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 3137, the 
Medicare Venipuncture Seniors Protection Act of 1998. This legislation 
sponsored by Representative Bob Aderholt (4th-AL) would delay 
implementation of the elimination of the venipuncture home health 
benefit included in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. In order to 
determine whether or not the benefit should be restored after the 
delay, the bill commissions a study of venipuncture benefits. I also 
want to take the time to applaud the efforts of other Members of 
Congress who have taken a lead on this important issue. Representative 
Nick Rahall (3rd-WV) took the first step to correct this error in the 
Balanced Budget Act when he introduced H.R. 2912, the Medicare 
Venipuncture Fairness Act of 1997. I cosponsored the legislation which 
restores the venipuncture benefit completely.
  Everyone is opposed to fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare 
Program. I want to do everything we can to eliminate these items from 
the program so that we can offer additional medical services and 
prolong the life of the Medicare trust funds. However, complete 
elimination of the venipuncture benefit is not a solution to this 
problem. Unfortunately, eliminating home health visits for the sole 
purpose of obtaining a venipuncture was included in the Balanced Budget 
Act passed by this Congress and signed into law by the President last 
year.
  This change in Medicare has affected individual States in different 
ways. Some of the most negatively affected are rural Southern States 
like Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, 
Kentucky, and West Virginia. In Tennessee, State regulations prevent 
lab technicians from entering homes and drawing blood under Medicare 
part B. Further, there is no safety net on the State level which will 
care for these patients. If our intent is to save money in health care, 
it does not make sense to discontinue this benefit. Many of these 
individuals could be placed into nursing homes and onto the Medicaid 
Program. In Tennessee, one recent study has indicated that an 
additional 3,000 nursing beds will be needed by the year 2000. More 
beds will be needed if this inequity is not corrected.
  Like many other Members of Congress, I supported balancing the budget 
and getting our financial house in order. When I ran for Congress in 
1996, one of my primary goals was working to get the budget balanced. 
However, I believe that we have gone too far with the elimination of 
this benefit, and I have no intention of balancing the budget on the 
backs of our frail and elderly.

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