[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BETTER CARE, LOWER COST ACT

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I along with Peter Welch, my 
colleague, and Senators Wyden and Isakson introduced the Better Care, 
Lower Cost Act, bipartisan legislation to truly bend the cost curve and 
improve chronic care management in Medicare.
  Medicare today, Mr. Speaker, is very different than it was in 1965, 
as 68 percent of all beneficiaries have two or more chronic conditions, 
which account now for 93 percent of all Medicare costs.
  Our legislation will help seniors like Darlene from my district, who 
suffers from multiple chronic conditions, including arthritis and 
diabetes. The complexity involved with gaining input from her many 
doctors and nurses makes it very difficult for her to manage her own 
health. This is a difficulty that many seniors typically face today.
  But by modernizing the Medicare payment system--paying for results, 
not just activity; incentivizing people to take care of themselves; and 
removing the barriers to innovation--we can ensure that seniors get the 
right care at the right time.
  We can also take advantage of health care technology, like 
telehealth. We can break down the barriers, the geographic barriers, to 
bring chronic care management skills and experience of institutions 
like the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to light.
  Mr. Speaker, we can create a better system, and this bipartisan group 
shows that it can be done with a little cooperation and collaboration.

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