[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 27994]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      BREAK THE MEDICARE BARRIERS

  (Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, would you work for an 
employer who told you he was going to cut your pay next year 4\1/2\ 
percent? Would you work for an employer who told you he was going to 
cut your pay every year for the next 6 years 4\1/2\ percent? Would you 
work for an employer who told you he was going to cut your pay every 
year for the next 6 years 4\1/2\ percent and your costs were going up 
21 percent? Of course you would not.
  Our seniors are already finding it hard to find a doctor who will 
take a new Medicare patient. What a hollow promise Medicare is if you 
cannot choose your own doctor. Only you, Mr. President, can require 
bureaucratic minds to take the actions necessary, fair and appropriate 
to break through the barriers to a destructive, unworkable, and 
outdated law. Only you, Mr. President, can give the order for 
administrative actions to allow budget-neutral repeal of the old SGR 
law and adoption of a modern pay-for-performance bill so you can 
fulfill the progressive vision that you have had that we all share of a 
Medicare program that can control costs by improving the quality of 
health care delivered to our seniors. I call on you to act, Mr. 
President.

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