[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13885]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           MEDICARE ADVANTAGE

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, the House voted this week on Medicare.
  First, let me make one thing clear: We need to pay our doctors. We 
cannot continue to make it more difficult for doctors to make the 
decisions to see Medicare patients. A permanent fix is absolutely 
necessary.
  Having said that, the bill we voted on this week took a very short-
sighted approach. By cutting the successful and innovative Medicare 
Advantage program in order to pay for the doctors' payment fix, there 
will be cuts to Medicare Advantage plans that will reduce access, 
benefits, and choices for millions of our senior citizens, especially 
low income seniors and those in rural areas.
  We can take care of our doctors without cutting benefits for our 
seniors, our Nation's senior citizens. The cuts to Medicare Advantage 
were $47.5 billion. This would do great damage to an effective aspect 
of Medicare that serves our senior citizens. We can do better than 
that.

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