[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 118 (Thursday, July 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      MEDICARE IMPROVEMENT FOR PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. TODD TIAHRT

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2008

  Mr. TIAHRT. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to President 
Bush's veto of H.R. 6331. This legislation is a critical bill to ensure 
that our seniors have access to health care and so I will again vote in 
its favor. I am disappointed with the President's decision and am 
compelled to make a stand in support of our seniors.
  By the nature of our democratic process, almost no bill considered in 
Congress is perfect, and H.R. 6331 is no exception. We cannot, however, 
``let the perfect be the enemy of the good.'' H.R. 6331 is a good 
compromise that will help preserve our health care delivery system. 
This bill will increase investment in preventive and quality care, 
expand programs in rural communities, expand the patient centered 
medical home, and begin to transform the health care delivery system 
through the adoption of electronic prescribing. This investment will 
yield generations of healthier adults, improved quality of life, and 
long-term health care savings.
  One of the most important pieces of this bill is the physician 
reimbursement rate fix--which is really an access issue. Perhaps the 
most critical situation facing our seniors in the coming decades will 
be access to physicians. Due to the paltry reimbursement rates for 
their services, more and more doctors are unable to take on new 
Medicare patients, or even serve any Medicare patients. They simply 
cannot pay the bills. The formula that CMS uses to determine the 
reimbursement for physician services is not based on cost accounting 
standards. No one seems to understand why CMS adopted this formula 
decades ago, yet no one at the agency seems willing to overhaul it. The 
result is decreasing reimbursement for physicians. When they cannot 
cover their own costs, they have to stop seeing Medicare patients and 
this is a grave concern. We are not only concerned that our parents 
will not be able to see a physician when in need, but also that there 
won't be adequate health care access when the baby boomers and our 
children become Medicare eligible. I'm for a permanent fix, which this 
House voted for in 2004 as part of the Medicare Modernization Act 
before the Senate stripped it, but until we get there, preventing the 
annual cuts must be our priority. This bill prevents a reimbursement 
rate cut and helps physicians continue to see their senior patients.
  I strongly disagree with the President--and even my own leadership--
on his position. Access to healthcare is one of the greatest issues 
facing our seniors--along with rising fuel costs--and it is 
irresponsible to stand in the way of providing that access. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in overriding the veto of H.R. 6331.

                          ____________________