[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 69 (Friday, May 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  2002 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR FURTHER RECOVERY FROM AND 
           RESPONSE TO TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 2002

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4775) making 
     supplemental appropriations for further recovery from and 
     response to terrorist attacks on the United States for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, and for other 
     purposes.

  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Supplemental 
Appropriations Act. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and I would have offered 
an amendment to reclassify the hospitals in Connecticut's Fairfield and 
New Haven Counties into the New York City Metropolitan Statistical Area 
(MSA). Unfortunately, we were not able to offer this amendment, but I 
hope in the future we will be able to address this issue.
  Fairfield County borders the New York state line and is only 30 miles 
from Manhattan. There are six hospitals in the county, four of which 
have been periodically reclassified on a temporary basis into the New 
York MSA.
  Despite paying wages which are only 10 percent less than the wages 
paid by hospitals in the New York MSA, Fairfield County's wage index is 
17 percent less than the New York MSA. The Fairfield County hospitals 
need to be on a level playing field with the New York hospitals to be 
able to attract and retain highlyskilled clinical staff.
  Fairfield County is widely recognized as being part of the New York 
Metropolitan Area geographically, economically and socially. In fact, 
the Census Bureau counts Fairfield County in the same Consolidated 
Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) as New York City. This 
determination is based on population figures, commuting patterns, 
employment data, and the overall economic and social integration of the 
surrounding areas with the City. In fact, fully 11 percent of Stamford 
Hospital's labor pool resides in New York.
  In addition, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Department of Labor, and 
the Bureau of Transportation Statistics all include Fairfield County 
with New York City for statistical purposes. A letter from Rae Rosen of 
the Federal Reserve Bank of New York states, ``A significant portion of 
Fairfield County commutes to New York City where a significant portion 
of the county's income is earned.''
  The National Association of Realtors groups Fairfield County housing 
prices with other New York metropolitan area housing prices because the 
markets are similar in many ways and provide the housing for the 
greater New York metropolitan area labor market.
  Mr. Chairman, by not reclassifying these hospitals, they are being 
penalized for efficiency. They have gone to great lengths to control 
costs, especially personnel costs by revamping their labor skill mix. 
However, rather than be rewarded for these cost-containment measures, 
Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport are penalized by the Medicare 
reclassification thresholds.
  The six hospitals in Fairfield County are the type of hospital that 
Congress intended to help when it created the geographic 
reclassification process.
  Mr. Chairman, I support this legislation and I would urge my 
colleagues to vote in favor of it.

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