[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12682]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--18-MONTH EXTENSION

  Mr. McCONNELL. Another option we could pursue on a bipartisan basis 
is to do what we did last December, which is pass a 6-month extension 
on a bipartisan basis. So maybe we can simply extend existing law for 
18 months, the 18-month period being the one we had been discussing 
before the bipartisan talks broke off.
  Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
immediate consideration of a Senate bill, which I will send to the 
desk, and is a clean 18-month extension of the December Medicare bill. 
I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, 
the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DURBIN. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, our greatest successes in this Congress 
have come when both sides work together. We have seen it many times, 
from last year's Energy bill to the economic stimulus package. We 
started down the same path when we began the Medicare discussion a few 
months ago. Both sides wanted to prevent cuts to physicians in the 
Medicare Program, preserve access to the quality medical care our 
seniors have come to depend on, and improve the program with things 
such as electronic prescribing. Unfortunately, the majority walked away 
from these bipartisan discussions. With the deadline for action 
approaching at the end of the week, frankly, we need to pass a bill.
  I am willing to consider many different options. Senator Grassley 
drafted a bill that would protect Medicare benefits for seniors and 
that could be signed into law by the President. It should be passed 
today in the Senate, but the majority has passed on an opportunity to 
do that.
  I am going to resist the temptation to launch into a speech like my 
good friend from Illinois about how many times legislation has been 
blocked by the minority. I think the finger-pointing at this point on 
this bill is ridiculous. We have a couple of weeks to pass it. We need 
to get together and pass it.
  If the other benefits and improvements to Medicare are unacceptable 
to the majority, my side is willing, as I suggested a few moments ago, 
to extend the bill passed in December of last year for 18 months, with 
a 1.1 percent update for 2009. It was acceptable enough to pass 6 
months ago by unanimous consent, so it should be acceptable enough now. 
It is critical we prevent these cuts from taking effect. This bill 
would do that. The majority, unfortunately, has objected to that path.
  It is some cause for confusion. I thought our friends on the other 
side were interested in preserving seniors' access to physicians from 
being compromised. As physicians face a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare 
reimbursement, we need to be working together. I know I speak for 
myself as well as Senator Grassley when I say we remain hopeful that 
the majority will stop playing partisan politics and return to the 
negotiating table so we can quickly pass this much needed legislation.

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