[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18608]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



         TIME FOR CONGRESS TO ADMINISTER FIRST AID TO HOSPITALS

  (Ms. GRANGER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I stood behind the Balanced Budget Act when 
it was passed in 1997. We all believed it was a good bill that 
addressed fraud and abuse in Medicare billing. But now, 3 years down 
the road, we are seeing unintended consequences of this bill.
  In 1997, Congress estimated the Balanced Budget Act would cut $116 
billion in fraudulent Medicare payments. Current projection, however, 
estimate $227 billion in cuts. These cuts, almost double the original 
projection, go well beyond fraud and abuse. These cuts threaten vital 
hospital services.
  Walls Regional Hospital in my district serves a growing but primarily 
rural area, Cleburne, Texas. The hospital recently expanded its Skilled 
Nursing section from 12 to 25 beds. Just as Walls finished their 
expansion, the Balanced Budget Act reduced the reimbursement rate for 
skilled nursing by 70 percent, a loss of a million dollars a year for 
Walls. Today, despite community needs, the Skilled Nursing facility is 
down to 11 beds.
  It is stories like this that remind us to prioritize our Nation's 
health services. Mr. Speaker, it is time for Congress to administer 
first aid to our hospitals.

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