[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2801]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 INTRODUCTION OF MEDICAID SAFETY NET HOSPITAL PRESERVATION ACT OF 2001

  (Mr. WHITFIELD asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the 
gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette) and I have introduced the 
Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Preservation Act of 2001. The Medicaid 
disproportionate share program provides funding for hospital 
uncompensated care. Payments are made through the Medicaid program and 
the costs are financed with a combination of Federal and State dollars. 
The amount of money that any State can spend on indigent care through 
the Medicaid DSH program is limited by the caps imposed by the Federal 
Government.
  The 1997 Balanced Budget Act affected hospitals to a far greater 
degree than was ever anticipated by Congress. Rural hospitals have been 
hardest hit and are struggling to remain financially solvent. In the 
closing days of the 106th Congress, we passed the Beneficiary 
Improvement and Protection Act which stopped further reductions in 
Medicaid DSH spending in fiscal year 2001 and fiscal year 2002. Even 
though we froze further cuts in those years, the law reinstates the 
full Balanced Budget Act reduction for most States in fiscal year 2003. 
Last year's legislation secured only a temporary reprieve.
  Therefore, the act that we have introduced will eliminate any further 
reductions in the program for fiscal year 2003.

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