[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H1457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1330
                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. ALEXANDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. The proponents of this health reform package are 
misleading the American public into believing that you can raise the 
baseline and reduce spending at the same time. You cannot expect to 
expand coverage to millions of individuals and to curb costs.
  The Medicaid program already pays doctors and hospitals at levels 
well below those of Medicare and private insurance. And most of the 
time, below actual costs. Many doctors, therefore, do not accept 
Medicaid patients and the cuts may further discourage participation.
  The most devastating cuts to the States' Federal Medicaid match have 
been deferred because of relief from the stimulus package. Those 
deferments end in December.
  The health care bill before us now is a disaster waiting to happen 
and an expansion of an already broken program.

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