[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 133 (Wednesday, October 19, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8946-H8950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONCURRENCE BY HOUSE WITH AMENDMENTS IN SENATE AMENDMENT
TO H.R. 3971, QI, TMA, AND ABSTINENCE PROGRAMS EXTENSION AND HURRICANE
KATRINA UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF ACT OF 2005
Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 501) providing for the concurrence by the House
with amendments in the amendment of the Senate to H.R. 3971.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 501
Resolved, That, upon the adoption of this resolution, the
House shall be considered to have taken from the Speaker's
table the bill H.R. 3971, with the Senate amendment thereto,
and to have concurred in the Senate amendment to the bill
with the following amendments:
In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the
amendment of the Senate to the bill, insert the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``QI, TMA, and Abstinence
Programs Extension and Hurricane Katrina Unemployment Relief
Act of 2005''.
TITLE I--HEALTH PROVISIONS
SEC. 101. EXTENSION OF QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL (QI) PROGRAM.
(a) Through September 2007.--Section 1902(a)(10)(E)(iv) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)(E)(iv)) is
amended by striking ``September 2005'' and inserting
``September 2007''.
(b) Extending Total Amount Available for Allocation.--
Section 1933(g) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396u-3(g)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (B);
(B) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (C)
and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
``(D) for the period that begins on October 1, 2005, and
ends on December 31, 2005, the total allocation amount is
$100,000,000;
``(E) for the period that begins on January 1, 2006, and
ends on September 30, 2006, the total allocation amount is
$300,000,000;
``(F) for the period that begins on October 1, 2006, and
ends on December 31, 2006, the total allocation amount is
$100,000,000; and
``(G) for the period that begins on January 1, 2007, and
ends on September 30, 2007, the total allocation amount is
$300,000,000.''; and
(2) in paragraph (3), in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by inserting ``, (D), or (F)'' after ``subparagraph
(B)''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall be effective as of September 30, 2005.
SEC. 102. EXTENSION OF TRANSITIONAL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (TMA)
AND ABSTINENCE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
Effective as if enacted on September 30, 2005, activities
authorized by sections 510 and 1925 of the Social Security
Act shall continue through December 31, 2005, in the manner
authorized for fiscal year 2005, notwithstanding section
1902(e)(1)(A) of such Act, and out of any money in the
Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated,
there are hereby appropriated such sums as may be necessary
for such purpose. Grants and payments may be made pursuant to
this authority through the first quarter of fiscal year 2006
at the level provided for such activities through the first
quarter of fiscal year 2005.
SEC. 103. ELIMINATION OF MEDICARE COVERAGE OF DRUGS USED FOR
TREATMENT OF SEXUAL OR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION.
(a) In General.--Section 1860D-2(e)(2)(A) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-102(e)(2)(A)) is amended--
(1) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``, as
such sections were in effect on the date of the enactment of
this part.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following: ``Such term also
does not include a drug when used for the treatment of sexual
or erectile dysfunction, unless such drug were used to treat
a condition, other than sexual or erectile dysfunction, for
which the drug has been approved by the Food and Drug
Administration.''.
(b) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed as preventing a prescription drug plan or an MA-PD
plan from providing coverage of drugs for the treatment of
sexual or erectile dysfunction as supplemental prescription
drug coverage under section 1860D-2(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-102(a)(2)(A)(ii)).
(c) Effective Dates.--The amendment made by subsection
(a)(1) shall take effect as if included in the enactment of
the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and
Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-173) and the
amendment made by subsection (a)(2) shall apply to coverage
for drugs dispensed on or after January 1, 2007.
SEC. 104. ELIMINATION OF MEDICAID COVERAGE OF DRUGS USED FOR
TREATMENT OF SEXUAL OR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION.
(a) In General.--Section 1927(d)(2) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r-8(d)(2)) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subparagraph:
``(K) Agents when used for the treatment of sexual or
erectile dysfunction, unless such agents are used to treat a
condition, other than sexual or erectile dysfunction, for
which the agents have been approved by the Food and Drug
Administration.''.
(b) Elimination of Federal Payment Under Medicaid
Program.--Section 1903(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396b(i)) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``or'' at the end of paragraph (19);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (20) and
inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (20) the following new
paragraph:
``(21) with respect to amounts expended for covered
outpatient drugs described in section 1927(d)(2)(K) (relating
to drugs when used for treatment of sexual or erectile
dysfunction).''.
(c) Clarification of No Effect on Determination of Base
Expenditures.--Section 1935(c)(3)(B)(ii)(II) of such Act (42
U.S.C. 1396v(c)(3)(B)(ii)(II)) is amended by inserting ``,
including drugs described in subparagraph (K) of section
1927(d)(2)'' after ``1860D-2(e)''.
(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall apply to drugs dispensed on or after January 1, 2006.
TITLE II--ASSISTANCE RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT
SEC. 201. SPECIAL TRANSFER IN FISCAL YEAR 2006.
Section 903 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1103) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Special Transfer in Fiscal Year 2006.--Not later than
10 days after the date of
[[Page H8947]]
the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary of the
Treasury shall transfer from the Federal unemployment
account--
``(1) $15,000,000 to the account of Alabama in the
Unemployment Trust Fund;
``(2) $400,000,000 to the account of Louisiana in the
Unemployment Trust Fund; and
``(3) $85,000,000 to the account of Mississippi in the
Unemployment Trust Fund.''.
SEC. 202. FLEXIBILITY IN UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
ADMINISTRATION TO ADDRESS HURRICANE KATRINA.
Notwithstanding any provision of section 302(a) or
303(a)(8) of the Social Security Act, any State may, on or
after August 28, 2005, use any amounts received by such State
pursuant to title III of the Social Security Act to assist in
the administration of claims for compensation on behalf of
any other State if a major disaster was declared with respect
to such other State or any area within such other State under
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act by reason of Hurricane Katrina.
SEC. 203. REGULATIONS.
The Secretary of Labor may prescribe any operating
instructions or regulations necessary to carry out this title
and any amendment made by this title.
Amend the title so as to read: ``To extend medicare cost-
sharing for qualifying individuals through September 2007, to
extend transitional medical assistance and the program for
abstinence education through December 2005, to provide
unemployment relief for States and individuals affected by
Hurricane Katrina, and for other purposes.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. McCrery) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr.
McDermott) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery).
Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today is a compromise between a bill
that the House has previously passed dealing with unemployment
insurance benefits for the affected States on the gulf coast that were
devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the Senate bill which addressed the
same issue.
There were other matters included in one or other of the bills,
including the extension of the Transitional Medical Assistance Program,
which continues Medicaid for families leaving welfare for work, the
Abstinence Education Program, and the QI-1 program through which State
Medicaid programs help low-income seniors pay Medicare part B premiums.
Also, this bill is completely paid for, and the pay-for in this bill
is the same as it was in the House bill when it passed the House floor
a couple of weeks ago, and that is to prohibit Medicare and Medicaid
coverage of drugs for treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Mr. Speaker, the compromise bill today includes the very same
unemployment insurance benefits that were included in the previously
passed House bill. We make a few changes in the effective days of some
of the programs I referred to earlier. For example, the QI-1 program in
the bill before us today is extended through September 30, 2007,
instead of the date of December 2006 which was included in the
previously passed House bill.
In addition, the bill before us includes the Senate-passed extension
of the Abstinence Education Program which was not included in our
earlier-passed version of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I would urge all Members today to do the same thing they
did 2 weeks ago and support this bill and pass it to give badly needed
assistance to those States along the gulf coast who are experiencing
very much increased unemployment due to Hurricane Katrina.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by giving a weather report. In the
Caribbean there is another hurricane developing called Wilma. It is a
stage 5 and it is headed toward the Florida keys. So I think Members
ought to be listening if they live in the State of Florida because 13
days ago we stood right here and called for an appropriate Federal
response for the people in the gulf coast.
{time} 1400
One that would rise to the same level of responsibility as the waters
that rose and flooded the homes, hopes, and communities along the gulf
coast. Our response was inadequate then, and it is only worse today. I
certainly want to exempt the gentleman from Louisiana from what I say
here because I know that this is not a bill that he produced. He is
being sent out here by his leadership to put this bill on the floor,
and it is not what he would do for the people of Louisiana.
Tens of thousands of Americans are without housing, health coverage,
protection of children, and without unemployment benefits or their
employment. Tens of thousands are filing for unemployment benefits;
benefits are running out for thousands more. The magnitude of the
disaster is unmistakable, and the Republican response has been
unconscionable. This is a continuing disaster. The storm was weeks ago,
but this continues.
In this time of domestic crisis, the Republican survival kit has been
to give people in the gulf a teaspoon to empty the ocean out of their
lives, and here we are 13 days later doing what we did 2 weeks ago. It
is unlucky 13, because the Republicans have redefined the Federal
response to a natural disaster to include a legislative disaster, this
bill. Republicans wring their hands and they exude political concern
for people affected by the hurricane, but they do not walk the talk.
Mr. Speaker, I think you can tell the President he can go to the gulf
coast as many times as he wants. He has been there six already. It will
not do any good, because all those people down there read the Bible and
go to church on Sunday, and they know that Bible verse that says: By
your deeds you shall know them. It is not the fact that you go down
there and stand around for photo ops; it is what you do when you come
back to Washington, D.C.
Now, there is not enough of anything, most especially the strong
shoulders of the Federal Government, in this bill. This legislation
offers no real relief to jobless disaster victims. It did not 13 days
ago, and it does not today. We continue to ignore three major problems:
First of all, 6,000 people have already exhausted unemployment
benefits in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. There is no extension
for them. Another 20,000 jobless workers in these States are projected
to run out of benefits by Christmas. Nothing is done for them. These
workers need a federally funded extension of their benefits while they
put their lives back together and search for employment.
Secondly, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana had the three lowest
levels of average weekly unemployment benefits in the entire Nation. In
all three States, the average benefit is less than $200 a week. That is
about half the poverty level for a family of four. Now, ask yourself,
is that the best we can do? I mean, after we spent all that money in
Iraq, is that the best we can do for the gulf coast, offer people half
of poverty? The Federal Government should step in and help people get
up on their feet, not down on their knees.
The third problem with this bill is the disaster-affected States are
seeing an enormous surge in unemployment claims. In Louisiana alone,
new claims for unemployment benefits have surged 10 times the normal
level, 10 times the normal level; and State officials expect Katrina-
related unemployment benefits to exceed $800 million. That money is
supposed to come from a State economy that has been devastated by the
loss and dislocation of 70,000 businesses. It just does not work. If
you do not have people working paying unemployment insurance, you are
not going to have the money to pay benefits.
Under Louisiana law, once their unemployment trust fund slips below a
certain level, automatic benefit cuts for jobless workers and tax
increases for employers are triggered into effect. This bill does
nothing about that. That means people receiving unemployment benefits
in Louisiana of less than $200 a week will see their benefits slashed
by as much as $37 a week starting in January, the way things are right
now.
From the beginning, the Federal response to this national disaster
has been bungled, inept, and very suspect. We owe the people of the
gulf coast something more than our sympathies. We know the problems,
and the Federal Government can solve these problems; but we are not
going to do that again today. Instead, again, the Republicans want to
pass a bill that sends a lump sum of money to these hard-hit States to
bear yet another burden.
[[Page H8948]]
The lump sum is not enough, because it covers less than half the cost
of regular unemployment claims caused by the disaster. If you are going
to do a lump sum, at least do a lump sum that meets what you know is
happening. Do not give them half. Where are they supposed to get the
other half, give them a tin cup and stand on the corner? There is no
money at all to extend expiring benefits or to supplement the meager
benefits currently available. With an effort like this, the Republican
House is using Michael Brown's FEMA as a model, that is, Way to go,
Brownie.
Ask people in the shelters, ask people with no place to call home,
ask Americans on any street corner, and they would be embarrassed all
over again. We are giving $500 million. It sounds like a lot of money,
right? We have $25 billion in the fund that we could use for this
purpose. We are out of touch, and the people in Louisiana and Alabama
and Mississippi are running out of time.
As things stand, it is really getting worse every day for
disadvantaged Americans, and we are making them pay for the folly. The
majority will locate the storm directly over the heads of every
disadvantaged and disenfranchised American. Fiscal offsets did not
concern Republicans when they gave every millionaire a $100,000 tax
break or charged the people of the United States $215 billion for an
illegal war in Iraq. We could put that on future generations, but not
this bill. This one we have to put on the backs of the people. We had
to find offsets; we had to cut something to meet the needs of Americans
affected by one natural disaster.
Republicans demanded that the disadvantaged pay the price. Their
response is to put food on the table of one American family by making
it harder on the folks next door. Share the pain? No, no, no.
Republicans shift the blame and the pain to the least able to fight
back.
Mr. Speaker, President Bush went down and promised that we would do
whatever it took to help these people get back on their feet. Well, it
takes more than going down and standing in front of a mike and giving a
photo op and then coming home and doing nothing. You have to come up
here and insist that the Congress respond. The President has not done
that. The people in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are waiting for
the President to make good on his promise. My advice to those folks is
do not hold your breath.
People across America are watching and hoping for the President to
say something other than, Brownie, you have done a heck of a job.
Denial is not an appropriate response to this natural disaster, and
that is what this House is doing. Responsibility and relief are what is
needed and required by the Federal Government. The Republicans are in
charge from top to bottom. It is time they lead with their heart and
their head and not their chin. Meager is the only word that I could use
here to describe what their response to Hurricane Katrina is, but that
is where the Republicans are heading, another meager response.
There is still time to change the course. There is still time for the
Federal Government to be an agent of good that it is supposed to be.
Mr. Speaker, domestic security includes a roof over your head, a hot
meal, and a helping hand to rebuild the life lost through no fault of
your own. What the Republicans continue to provide is a tarp and a can
and a good luck sign. We do not need thumbs up. We need wheels down,
and bring the help.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the gentleman from
California (Mr. Thomas) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel),
chairman and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee. I also
want to thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson) and the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), my distinguished colleagues
on the committee. A lot of people have worked hard on this issue of
unemployment insurance. I also want to thank the staff of the Ways and
Means Committee on both sides of the aisle, Democrat and Republican,
for jumping in very early after Katrina hit to start dealing with all
of these issues within our jurisdiction that affect the victims of this
disaster. Thanks to the hard work of members of the committee and
staff, we have been able to pass already a number of bills that the
President has signed to help mitigate the disaster.
This bill before us today is one that I can assure the Members of
this House and the gentleman from Washington that my State very badly
wants right now; it is very badly needed. They are in fact spending
money from their unemployment trust fund at a very fast clip, and their
part of this $500 million will give them a badly needed infusion of
cash to stop the bleeding in their own unemployment trust fund.
So although the gentleman from Washington may be right in saying that
this is not enough to cover everything that the State will lose as a
result of this disaster, nonetheless, it is a very, very important
infusion of cash right now to my State and to Mississippi and to
Alabama to help them in this very bad time shortly after the storm when
unemployment is reaching its peak.
So, again, just as I did 2 weeks ago, I would urge the gentleman from
Washington and others in this House not to stop this bill from passing.
Work with us later to perfect other bills which may be needed when we
get more evidence in as to the financial effects on these States
because of the effects of the disaster, and we will certainly work with
them to provide additional assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I must add that this House and indeed this Congress has
passed and the President has signed over $62 billion of relief for the
disaster stricken States along the gulf coast. I do not know of anyone
who would call that a meager response. That is indeed a very robust
response. Yes, we are experiencing some difficulties in getting that
money out the door, on the ground, to the purposes for which it was
intended; but those are bureaucratic problems that we have with any
large government program. But the money has been appropriated, Congress
has taken action, the President has signed those bills, and the money
is there waiting to be spent. So I do not call that a meager response.
I call that a robust response, a very quick response; and today's bill
is just another step in providing an immediate response to the
problems.
Again, I can assure this House that my State very badly needs the
provisions of this bill today and very badly wants this bill to be
passed and signed by the President. Then, if there is more needed down
the road, we can come back and address that at the appropriate time;
but today I believe this is an appropriate response of this House and
this Congress to help these States with their immediate unemployment
insurance needs to keep the taxes on their employers in those States
from going up at the very time when we need to encourage businesses to
restart, to reinvest, and to retire employees.
Mr. Speaker, again, I would urge passage of this very badly needed
legislation today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Brown).
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today the House of Representatives is
doing the right thing about health care. The QI program helps low-
income beneficiaries cover the cost of the Medicare premium. Without
this program, many elderly Americans would sink below poverty as they
attempt to pay for doctors' visits out of pocket. That not only places
the elderly at risk; it is wasteful from a fiscal perspective. When
Medicare eligibles cannot afford the premium associated with doctors'
visits and other outpatient services, Medicaid becomes their insurer of
last resort. Absent QI, this program, more elderly Americans and
individuals with disabilities would need Federal and State assistance
through Medicaid in addition to their Medicare hospital coverage.
{time} 1415
Investing in premium assistance now saves both Federal dollars and
State dollars.
This bill also extends the Transitional Medical Assistance Program,
[[Page H8949]]
TMA. It provides health insurance to families as they move from welfare
to the workforce. It is both a public health imperative and a jobs
initiative.
Similar to the QI, it is an investment to the Federal budget in the
long run, in this case by promoting workforce participation.
Ideally, today's legislation would make QI and TMA programs permanent
so that these all-too-frequent reauthorizations would no longer be
necessary. I hope we can work on a bipartisan basis to secure a
permanent authorization.
At the beginning of my remarks I said today the House of
Representatives is doing the right thing about health care.
Unfortunately, yesterday they were not, this body was not. The day
before this body was not doing the right thing about health care, and
week before, week before, week before this they were not doing the
right thing about health care.
Now, as we talk about Katrina, paying for this terrible tragedy that
happened along the gulf coast, some Republicans want to cut Medicaid by
$12 billion, $15 billion cut, cut other kinds of programs, increase
Medicare premiums, cut out all kinds of programs that serve the working
poor. Other Republicans simply want to add this cost of Katrina, as
they add the $1 billion a week for the Iraq War, to the national
deficit so that our kids and our grandkids can pay the cost.
Unfortunately, no Republican, to my knowledge, is standing up and
saying maybe we ought to cancel the tax cuts that are for the
wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. So the choice has become this. My
friends on the other side of the aisle say let us give tax cuts to the
wealthy, and then we have to cut Medicaid. Then we have to raise
Medicare premiums. Medicare premiums already having gone up 50 percent
in the last 4 years, 50 percent in the last 4 years. Seniors were just
notified they are going to pay almost $90 a month for their Medicare
premium, and do my colleagues know why? It is because my friends on the
other side of the aisle are slavish devotees to tax cuts for the
wealthiest Americans.
So, as wealthy Americans see their incomes go up and up and up, as
the minimum wage has stayed flat for 5 years, as wages for 95 percent
of the American people have been stagnant, we have got to give tax cuts
for the wealthiest people in this country, to the richest people making
over $250,000, $300,000 a year, and then we have to cut Medicaid. Then
we have to increase Medicare premiums. Then we have to take from the
middle class and the working poor.
It is immoral, it is wrong, and my colleagues should listen to what
the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) said when he quoted from
the New Testament and talked about we will be judged by our deeds. We
also should think about our faith in terms of social justice. We also
should think about our faith in doing to the least of these among us.
We ought to think about our faith in making this country a better
place, and frankly, my friends on the other side of the aisle have
failed miserably on that account.
Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself so much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio for his
contributions to perfecting the part of this legislation that concerns
the QI program and the extension of that program. His input, as well as
many others in this House, were very valuable in allowing us to reach a
compromise and get this bill to the floor. So I thank him for that.
With respect to Medicare premiums, we are all concerned about that.
The gentleman makes a valid point. He, of course, knows very well that
the Medicare premiums are simply a function of the cost of the Medicare
part B program and have nothing to do with taxes of any sort in this
country. We are all concerned about trying to hold down the increases
in medical costs, not only for Medicare beneficiaries but for everybody
in our society.
I would urge the gentleman from Ohio and others to join us in trying
to attack the root causes of those cost increases, such as medical
malpractice reform, which we passed through this House but we cannot
quite get through the Senate. Maybe with the gentleman's help, we can
get those things passed and get those costs under control so we can
control the increases of the Medicare part B premium.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I think the gentleman from Louisiana should hear our comments as
being supportive of the problems. It is not that we do not think they
have done something. It just needs to be more, and I say it for two
reasons.
One is that I think that the people of the gulf coast really are
going to need more. I can predict almost without any fear at all that
we will be back out here in 3 months or 2 months or 1 month or whatever
asking for more money to fill up the problems. I think this paying a
little at a time is just not the best way to do it, but if my
colleagues have to do it that way, they have to do it that way.
The second reason I stand up here and respond in this way is that I
know I come from a place where we have earthquakes, and there are
Members on this floor from California who come from earthquake areas.
There are places all over this country where tornadoes are a real
problem, and I think we have to think of ourselves as a Federal
Government that deals with the problems of any part of the United
States that needs it. It may be the gulf coast right now, and we can
find all kinds of problems with whatever the gulf coast did or did not
do, but the people deserve our best effort here in this House.
For that reason, I intend to support this bill, and the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Brown) will, I am sure, and I think the gentleman has a
unanimous vote here, but we took this time because we wanted to say
that we thought it was necessary to think much more broadly and
comprehensively about this than I think the leadership on the
Republican side was willing to look at at this time. They are going to
have to face it soon.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself so much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, just in closing, again I would like to thank the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), my colleague on the
Committee on Ways and Means, for being so constructive throughout this
process. He has tried to offer constructive suggestions for inclusion
in this legislation. Unfortunately, we have not been able to
accommodate all of his requests, but we have included, for example, the
flexibility with the use of this money for the States to increase
benefits if they so choose on a temporary basis, to do some of things
that the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) was so rightly
concerned about.
So, again, I appreciate his input, as I do the input of other members
of the committee on this issue, and urge all of us to continue to work
together to try to appropriately respond to this disaster, as well as
any others that we unfortunately experience in this country.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I would urge passage of H. Res. 501.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the
reauthorization of the Qualified Individual (QI-1) program, which helps
over 161,000 low-income elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries
with incomes between 120 and 135 percent of poverty to pay their
Medicare Part B premiums. This critical program expired on September
30, 2005.
The Qualified Individual program saves eligible participants
approximately $1,000 per year. We're talking about individuals who
usually pay for most of their living expenses out of checks that range
in amount from $1,097 to $1,464 per month. Just to emphasize, that
equates to a meager $13,164 to $17,568 in total income per year.
Needless to say, this assistance serves as a vital resource for a very
vulnerable sector of our population.
Mr. Speaker, both the House and the Senate have passed bills to
reinstate the program. Today, I am happy to see that the Social
Services Emergency Relief and Recovery Act of 2005, H.R. 3971, a bill
designed primarily to provide relief to the Hurricane victims, includes
an extension of the QI-1 program, an essential subsidy for some of our
neediest Medicare beneficiaries. This program comes with a comparably
meager $300 million price tag and the benefit it delivers is priceless.
I urge my colleagues to support passage of this bill.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, if Congress does not act soon on reauthorizing
the QI program, in
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December of this year, over 161,000 beneficiaries will receive a Social
Security check that is reduced by a whopping $234.60 for the month.
That is why over thirty-five senior organizations, including the AARP,
the Gray Panthers, Alliance for Retired Americans, National Caucus and
Center on Black Aged, National Council on Aging and the United Jewish
Communities to name a few, have contacted Members of Congress urging
immediate action on reauthorizing this program.
As many of my colleagues know, the Qualified Individual program has
suffered from uncertain reauthorization and funding since it expired in
2002. Since its expiration, it has hobbled along on a series of
Continuing Resolutions--falling on the mercies of our oft-hurried
appropriations process. I firmly believe that this program is of utmost
importance--that costs us so little when we consider its impact. We
should reauthorize it with all due speed, not subject it to the
hurricane relief tennis match between the House and Senate leadership.
In the alternative, H.R. 3800, a bill introduced last month by
Representatives Kucinich and LaTourette, of which I am a cosponsor, is
a straightforward bipartisan bill to extend the Qualified Individual
program for one year. I applaud these Members for their leadership on
its introduction.
If we cannot wrest the QI-1 program out of the political volley
surrounding hurricane funding, I urge the House leadership to bring
H.R. 3800 to the floor for immediate consideration and passage. We have
the power to fix this and I urge my colleagues to reauthorize the QI-1
program now.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.
Res. 501, legislation that will extend the important Transitional
Medical Assistance and Qualified Individuals programs. Over the past
few years, these programs have been reauthorized by short-term
extensions that offer low-income beneficiaries of the programs few
assurances that they will be able to depend on the benefits in the
future. While I support this extension bill, Congress should be acting
I today to make these programs permanent.
The TMA program provides an important incentive for low-income
individuals to move off of welfare and into employment by ensuring
continued access to health care. Health insurance is a critical factor
in everyone's employment decisions. Without TMA, many families would
have little incentive to move off of welfare and leave behind the
Medicaid benefits that TANF beneficiaries often receive. TMA allows for
extended health care coverage when low-income families lose traditional
Medicaid benefits due to an increase in income. While four months of
TMA coverage is assured under current law, the six-to-twelve month
extension that families so often need falls under a legislative sunset.
While our action today will extend this coverage, we should be making
this extension permanent.
Likewise, we should be acting today to make Medicare's QI-1 program
permanent. This program is critical for Medicare beneficiaries whose
income is between 120% and 135% of the federal poverty level, as it
provides these individuals with assistance with their Medicare Part B
premiums. Since Qualified Individuals are not otherwise eligible for
Medicaid, the QI-1 program is critical in ensuring low-income seniors'
access to physician care.
Mr. Speaker, I support the efforts of the bill sponsor to swiftly
enact this important legislation. However, I regret that it includes
extraneous provisions that would limit Medicaid and Medicare
beneficiaries' access to certain classes of prescription drugs.
Physicians, not Congress, know best when a prescription drug is
medically necessary, and the government should not interject in
decisions between a patient and his doctor I about the proper course of
treatment.
Despite those reservations, this bill offers important benefits to
low-income individuals' access to health care, and I urge my colleagues
to join me in supporting it.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that the House and
Senate have finally worked out their differences to extend two programs
that provide important health care assistance for low-income elderly
and working families.
The Qualified Individual, QI, program provides assistance with the
cost of Medicare premiums for certain low-income individuals. The
Transitional Medicaid Program, TMA, provides temporary Medicaid
coverage to families moving off of welfare to the workforce.
This legislation considered today merely provides a short-term
extension. I continue to believe, however, that these programs should
be made permanent. First, they are good programs that provide much
needed assistance. Second, we should avoid the situation we find
ourselves in now, particularly with respect to the QI program, where
States and CMS were unsure whether or how to continue the program as
funding expired on September 30.
We must also consider making program improvements to both programs
that would simplify enrollment and retention of eligible individuals. I
recently reintroduced legislation, H.R. 3980, the Medicare Beneficiary
Assistance Improvement Act, to address this matter in the QI program.
And I have also included such provisions for the TMA program in H.R.
2071, the Family Care Act of 2005, which I reintroduced earlier this
year.
Finally, I have concerns about the provision we are using to pay for
these extensions. This provision strikes Medicare and Medicaid coverage
of particular drugs that had been previously covered. The provision, in
the out years, raises more revenue than is needed for these short-term
program extensions. We should have saved the remainder to use for
another day. But despite these reservations, there is great urgency in
extending the QI and TMA programs, so I am supporting the package.
Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Latham). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 501.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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