[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 124 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H6696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ILL-CONCEIVED CUTS IN MEDICARE

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, seniors back at home have been waiting for 
years for Congress to pass a prescription drug benefit as part of 
Medicare. Each month, many choose between buying medications and paying 
rent. I am not exaggerating. They are desperate.
  To make matters worse, many seniors were told by their doctors this 
year that they had to go somewhere else for care. This is because an 
arcane formula arbitrarily cuts the fees Medicare pays physicians. The 
administration says there was nothing they could do.
  Now seniors in my district will be told they cannot get other health 
care, like a pacemaker or a pint of blood, because Medicare is cutting 
these rates also. And this time it is not because of some formula. The 
administration is actually doing this on purpose. This will hurt our 
already stretched seniors.
  This will also get in the way of efforts to prepare for bioterrorism. 
Hospitals depend upon Medicare to help pay the bills. These cuts will 
mean our hospitals will be even more strapped for resources and less 
prepared.
  I urge the administration to reject this ill-conceived idea and 
support our seniors, our doctors and our hospitals.

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