[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 124 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H8516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          EXPIRING MEDICARE PROGRAM NEEDS URGENT CONSIDERATION

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I want to bring to the attention of the 
House a matter that really needs urgent consideration. There are 
160,000 elderly and disabled Americans who depend on Medicare part B, a 
program called the QI program, qualified individual. That program is 
due to expire on Friday. That program, that benefit, pays Medicare part 
B benefits to people with incomes that are 120 percent to 135 percent 
of the Federal poverty level. How that translates is that people who 
are making less than $1,092 per month as an individual or $1,459 per 
couple, they are due to lose their benefit which, for some people, 
would be almost 10 percent of their income. The Medicare part B 
insurance program covers medical services like physician service, lab 
service, durable medical equipment, outpatient and home health visits. 
We have a bipartisan bill sponsored by myself and the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), H.R. 3800. We have to act in the next 24 hours 
to save the financial condition for 160,000 elderly and disabled 
Americans.

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