[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 14 (Thursday, February 10, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S1257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMMISSION ON MEDICAID AND THE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED

  Mr. CHAFFEE. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Gordon Smith 
and others in the introduction of a bipartisan proposal that calls for 
the creation of a Commission on Medicaid and the Medically Underserved. 
This legislation recognizes the importance of assessing what aspects of 
the Medicaid program are working, which need reform, and how to improve 
service delivery and quality in the most cost effective manner 
possible. In this tight budget climate this bill highlights the need 
for a comprehensive assessment of the Medicaid program. The future of 
Medicaid cannot be determined by cost alone.
  This Medicaid commission would be charged with numerous duties, 
including reviewing and making recommendations on long-term goals of 
the program, populations served, financial sustainability, interaction 
with Medicare and the uninsured, and the quality of care provided. 
Medicaid is a critically important program that helps meet the health 
care needs of a diverse population. Namely it serves as a source of 
traditional insurance for poor children and some of their parents, it 
pays for an acute and long term care services for the elderly and 
disabled, wraps around coverage or assistance for low-income seniors 
and the disabled on Medicare, and serves as the primary source of 
funding for safety net providers serving Medicaid patients and the 
uninsured.
  In recognition of the diverse population Medicaid serves, the 
Medicaid commission would be comprised of 23 members representing all 
the stakeholders in the Medicaid program. The commission has 1 year to 
hold public hearings, conduct evaluations and deliberations, and issue 
its report recommendations to the President, Congress and the public.
  Like many of our Nation's governors, I agree that the Medicaid 
program needs a careful assessment with an eye toward reform that will 
make the program financially sustainable. At the same time, I recognize 
the importance of not fundamentally altering the structure of program 
without the deliberation necessary to preserve aspects of the program 
that are working. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Senator 
Smith's legislation to help bring Medicaid into the 21st century with 
reforms driven by efficacy, and not simply the cost of the program.

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