[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 7 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONFIRMATION OF MICHAEL O. LEAVITT TO BE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 
                                SERVICES

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I support the nomination of Governor 
Michael O. Leavitt to be U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  Governor Leavitt has had a lengthy career in public service, having 
served most recently as the 10th Administrator of the United States 
Environmental Protection Agency.
  In 1992, Leavitt was elected the 14th Governor of Utah and was that 
State's longest-serving Governor.
  During his three terms as Utah's Governor, he was chosen by the 
Nation's Governors to represent States in working with Congress on 
welfare reform, Medicaid and children's health insurance. He chaired 
the National Governors Association, the Western Governors Association, 
the Republican Governors Association and Council of State Governments.
  Governor Leavitt established an innovative welfare reform waiver 
program focused on increasing family income using an approach that 
emphasized employment and child support, but also addressed initial 
problems with families in need such as domestic violence, education, 
training, language barriers, and substance abuse issues to promote 
sustainable employment.
  This year, the HHS Secretary will have the critical task of 
overseeing the implementation of the first ever drug benefit in 
Medicare as well as the implementation of several program 
reauthorizations such as Ryan White, Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, all within 
an ever-constrained budgetary picture.
  As someone who voted for the Medicare Modernization Act, it is my 
hope that Governor Leavitt will work with me to address some of the 
weaknesses of the bill in addition to ensuring that the more than 41 
million Medicare beneficiaries know about this new benefit in Medicare 
and its low-income subsidies.
  Of greatest concern to me is the cost of prescription drugs. In 
voting for the Medicare bill, I said on the Senate floor that one of 
the greatest weaknesses of the bill was that it not only did not do 
enough to control the rising cost of prescription drugs but it 
specifically prohibited the HHS from using the bulk purchasing power of 
the Federal Government to negotiate with prescription drug plans to 
lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. I believe this 
prohibition should be stricken and that there should be a role for the 
HHS Secretary in what Medicare and beneficiaries pay for their drugs.
  I am committed to working with the HHS Secretary to find real 
solutions for lowering drug costs for our Nation's seniors.
  As the Medicare drug benefit is enacted, I am also hopeful that 
Governor Leavitt will work to ensure access to all needed medications 
for people living with HIV and AIDS, to allow for adequate transition 
time for the most vulnerable low-income seniors and to provide 
sufficient incentives and transparency for employers to retain their 
retirees' health care coverage.
  Governor Leavitt will oversee the Department of Health and Human 
Services at a time of rising deficits and this will require tough 
decisions. But these decisions must be balanced with the needs of the 
millions of Americans, young and old, who rely on Medicare, Medicaid 
and SCHIP to provide their health care insurance.
  Medicaid provides insurance to 40 million Americans, about 8 million 
of whom live in California. It covers 55 percent of all poor children 
and it pays for the births of one-third of all American children. It 
serves 50 percent of all people with AIDS and as many as 90 percent of 
children with AIDS.
  Medicaid is the insurer of last resort. If Medicaid did not exist, 
these individuals and families would be uninsured.
  But it is also the biggest budget items in many States. There is no 
question we can improve the efficiency and quality of Medicaid to 
ensure our dollars are being well-spent but we also cannot lose site of 
the fact that increases in spending per enrollee from 2000 until 2003 
were slower than increases in private insurance spending.
  There are 45 million Americans without health insurance today. 
Arbitrary limits on Federal Medicaid spending will only increase the 
number of uninsured, driving up overall health care costs and burdening 
our nation's already overcrowded emergency rooms.
  There is a great deal of work to be done, and I look forward to a 
productive working relationship with Governor Leavitt.

                          ____________________