[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 11, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1657-S1658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Unanimous Consent Request--S. 939

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, my office and I suspect all Senate 
offices are getting a whole lot of calls from senior citizens who are 
experiencing a great deal of fear and anxiety with all of the confusion 
and chaos that is currently going on here in Washington.
  When we have the President and my Republican colleagues talking about 
cutting Medicaid by some $880 billion--let us be clear--they are not 
just talking about throwing millions of children and others off of the 
health insurance they have; they are also talking about cuts to 
community health centers, which receive about 43 percent of their 
funding from Medicaid and where millions of seniors go to get their 
primary care. So cutting Medicaid impacts primary care.
  At a time when we have a major crisis in nursing home availability--I 
know that is true in Vermont; I expect it is true in almost every State 
in the country--let us understand that Medicaid provides approximately 
two out of three seniors with the funding they need to live in nursing 
homes. Make drastic cuts in Medicaid, and it is going to be harder for 
your mom, your dad to get into a nursing home or to stay in a nursing 
home. Cuts in Medicaid would be a disaster for seniors in nursing 
homes.
  But it is not just Medicaid cuts that worry seniors. At a time when 
the Social Security Administration is already understaffed--and again, 
for years, I have been hearing in my office--I expect other Senators 
have been hearing in their offices--from seniors who tell us they are 
calling up Social Security, they have got a problem, and they are not 
getting a response. And the result of that is that some 30,000 people a 
year die--die--waiting for their Social Security disability benefits.
  And in the midst of all of that, in the midst of a crisis where 
Social Security is understaffed, when our response should be to 
significantly increase staffing so that Social Security can better 
respond to the needs of our constituents, we have Elon Musk and his 
minions at DOGE cutting some 2,500 of Social Security staff. And, 
incredibly, they are now threatening to cut up to half of Social 
Security Administration staffing.
  And then, on top of all that, you have Mr. Musk claiming that Social 
Security, which has paid out every benefit owed to every eligible 
American for over 80 years, claiming that it is a Ponzi scheme. Social 
Security is not a Ponzi scheme. It has paid out every benefit owed to 
every eligible American for over 80 years.
  And then you have the President of the United States--State of the 
Union--lying about millions of people: Oh, millions of people, 200 
years of age, 300 years of age, imagine that, getting Social Security 
benefits.
  Seniors understand what all of that is about. They know that Musk and 
Trump want us to lose faith in Social Security and that, over a period 
of time, they want to give that indispensable program over to Wall 
Street.
  So let us be clear: In America today, 22 percent of Americans living 
who are 65 years of age are trying to survive on an income of less than 
$15,000 a year. Think about that: 22 percent of seniors in America 
trying to survive on $15,000 a year or less. Half of seniors are trying 
to get by on $30,000 a year or less. Frankly, I don't know how any 
senior living on $15,000, $20,000 survives. I don't know. The high cost 
of prescription drugs, food, housing, keeping warm in the winter, I 
don't know how they can do that.

  According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development, we now have the dubious distinction of having one of the 
highest rates of senior poverty compared to other wealthy nations. In 
America today, according to the latest OECD estimates, 23 percent of 
seniors are living in poverty compared to just 4 percent in Norway, 6 
percent in France, and 11.5 percent in Canada.
  Yes, we have more nuclear weapons than any other country; we have 
more billionaires than any other country, but we also have one of the 
highest rates of senior poverty of any country on Earth. We might want 
to get our priorities right.
  Now, while my Republican colleagues would like to make massive cuts 
to Medicaid in order to provide more tax breaks to billionaires, some 
of us have a better idea. We think that it makes more sense to 
substantially improve the lives of our Nation's seniors by expanding 
Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing benefits.
  In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare, one of the most 
popular and successful government programs in our Nation's history, 
into law. Before the enactment--this is really quite interesting. 
Before the enactment of Medicare, about half of our seniors were 
uninsured. Today, everyone in America age 65 or older is guaranteed 
healthcare benefits through Medicare regardless of their income or 
medical condition. That is the good news.
  The bad news is that, since its inception 60 years ago, Medicare has 
failed to cover such basic healthcare needs as hearing, dental care, 
and vision. The result: Millions of senior citizens have teeth that are 
rotting in their mouths. They are unable to hear what their children 
say or they are unable to read a newspaper because of failing eyesight.
  This is the United States of America. We are the wealthiest country 
in the history of the world. Senior citizens should not be walking 
around with no teeth in their mouth. They should not be unable to hear 
conversations. They should not be unable to afford glasses so that they 
can read a newspaper.
  The need to expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and eyeglasses 
is absolutely critical. Nobody--nobody--denies that oral health, 
hearing, and vision are essential parts of healthcare. We cannot 
continue to deny seniors these basic healthcare benefits. We can no 
longer tolerate the fact that 26 million seniors and people with 
disabilities in America have no dental insurance and no idea how they 
will be able to pay for the very expensive dental procedures that they 
need.
  The results have been tragic. Nearly one out of five seniors in 
America have lost all of their natural teeth. Twenty percent of seniors 
in America have no natural teeth in their mouths. Disgracefully, 60 
percent of our Nation's seniors have untreated gum disease, which can 
increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and rheumatoid 
arthritis.
  Further, it is not acceptable that while nearly two-thirds of seniors 
over the age of 70 experience hearing loss, less than 30 percent of 
seniors above this age have ever used a hearing aid, primarily because 
hearing aids are too expensive. In my view, no senior in America should 
face isolation from their families and friends simply because they 
cannot afford the extremely high price of a hearing aid.
  In addition, we cannot continue to allow seniors with poor vision to 
go without routine eye exams or properly prescribed glasses. Poor 
vision can lead to injury, cognitive impairment, and depression.
  Adding dental, vision, and hearing benefits to Medicare is not just 
good public policy; it will not only ease human suffering and improve 
the health of our Nation's seniors; it is precisely what the 
overwhelming majority

[[Page S1658]]

of the American people want. Poll after poll tells us exactly that.
  According to a poll conducted by Data for Progress last year, it 
found that 92 percent of the American people support expanding Medicare 
to provide dental, vision, and hearing benefits, and that is why I have 
introduced legislation today with Senators Warren, Booker, Welch, 
Markey, Duckworth, Merkley, and Blumenthal to do just that. Congressman 
Lloyd Doggett, in the House, has introduced similar legislation, which 
has more than 110 cosponsors.
  Now, I am sure that some of my Republican colleagues may say: Well, 
you know, it is an interesting idea. It is a good idea, but how are you 
going to pay for it?
  So let me tell you how we are going to pay for it. We are going to 
pay for it by requiring Medicare to pay no more for prescription drugs 
than the VA. Right now, we pay the highest prices in the world for 
prescription drugs, and that means significantly increased expenses for 
Medicare. By making sure that Medicare pays no more than the VA, which 
has for years--for decades--negotiated prices with the pharmaceutical 
industry, we could not only cut the price of prescription drugs for our 
seniors in half, we will save over $800 billion over the next decade, 
which would more--more--than pay for this legislation. Lower the costs 
of prescription drugs, and get the revenue we need to cover dental, 
vision, and hearing for seniors.

  Now, some of my Republican friends may also argue that this bill is 
not needed. Some Medicare Advantage plans already offer dental, vision, 
and hearing benefits, yes, but what my Republican friends may not tell 
you is, one, seniors still pay thousands of dollars out of pocket 
because these private Medicare Advantage benefits are totally 
inadequate. Further, the nonpartisan Medicare Payment Advisory 
Commission has estimated that Medicare Advantage plans overcharge the 
Federal Government by $83 billion a year.
  In other words, if we are serious about waste, fraud, and abuse--hear 
a lot about that--we may want to take a look at the massive waste and 
fraud that is taking place with private Medicare Advantage plans. Those 
savings would also more than fully pay for this legislation.
  Therefore, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that 
the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 939, which was 
introduced earlier today, that the bill be considered read three times 
and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and 
laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection?
  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I share my 
colleague's frustration with the Medicare system that far too often 
fails our seniors. Medicare's coverage and reimbursement paradigms 
routinely prioritize treating the symptoms instead of the underlying 
causes of chronic stress and disease. Research shows that patients with 
diminished vision, hearing, or oral health are more likely to suffer 
chronic conditions like kidney, Alzheimer's, and heart disease.
  We should modernize Medicare to focus on prevention and maintenance 
interventions. Patients should have access to a full spectrum of 
specialized providers working together as a team, from nutritionists, 
to dentists, to psychologists and surgeons. However, we must tackle 
these reforms without increasing the costs for patients or taxpayers. 
My colleague's proposal would increase the deficit by tens of billions 
of dollars and risk spiking seniors' premiums.
  After years of record inflation, we cannot rush to enact a policy 
that has not been carefully considered and appropriately integrated 
into Medicare. This bill was just introduced today. It hasn't even been 
looked at by the Finance Committee. No hearing has been held, and no 
evaluation of how to effectively integrate these types of policies has 
been made.
  I welcome the opportunity to work with my colleague to enact 
meaningful improvements to Medicare that deliver better outcomes for 
Americans. However, simply introducing a bill and then moving to have 
it passed on the floor of the Senate before there has been any 
consideration is not the way to proceed. We must proceed within the 
committee and floor process, within the regular order that this Senate 
requires.
  Therefore, for these reasons, Mr. President, I object to the request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Mr. SANDERS. I ask my colleague, my friend, the chairman of the 
Finance Committee a question. I hear what you are saying. Do I hear you 
correctly that you are prepared to discuss this legislation in 
committee?
  Mr. CRAPO. I am prepared to discuss the issue. I am not telling you 
that I will limit the discussion to this piece of legislation. But, 
yes, we are prepared to discuss significant approaches to how we 
improve and expand proper healthcare treatment in America.
  Mr. SANDERS. Look, I understand that this bill would bring forth 
serious debate and discussion, but I would appreciate if we could have 
a starting point. This bill is pretty simple. It says--and I hear you 
saying that you need--am I hearing you correctly to say that the idea 
of covering dental, vision, and hearing is something that you 
entertain, you think is a good idea, or am I not hearing that?
  Mr. CRAPO. I do think that idea--that outcome is a good outcome to 
seek to achieve. I can't say that I want to have your legislation or 
even my legislation--
  Mr. SANDERS. Right. OK. Fair enough. That is fair enough. But what I 
would like to do--and I appreciate--you know, I think you and I can 
agree that we don't use the committee structure here in the Senate as 
effectively as we might. That is the place to have serious debate and 
discussion, correct?
  Mr. CRAPO. Correct.
  Mr. SANDERS. OK. I would hope in one way or another--I would 
appreciate if we could start off with my bill. You could come in and 
tell me what you don't like about it, and we can go from there. But 
this is a crisis situation--I think you and I agree--that too many of 
our seniors are suffering because of lack of dental, hearing, and 
vision. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Let's debate 
it. But can we get this into the committee and have a serious 
discussion on it?
  Mr. CRAPO. I assume that this bill will be referred to the Finance 
Committee.
  Mr. SANDERS. It will.
  Mr. CRAPO. If this bill is referred to the Finance Committee, then 
it, like all other legislation in this area that is referred to the 
Finance Committee, will be reviewed by us. I can't tell you that it 
will have a specific hearing. I can't tell you exactly how that will 
work.
  We will look at developing a very significant and I hope broad and 
successful approach to reducing the cost of our healthcare system and 
increasing the focus and successes in our healthcare system, and I look 
forward to working with you on that.
  Mr. SANDERS. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Mr. 
President.
  I yield the floor.