[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17662]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        MEANINGFUL REFORM NEEDED

  (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Health 
Subcommittee I have been a strong supporter of meaningful health care 
reform, including a robust public health insurance option.
  But there's a problem with the plan that's on the table because it 
incorporates a Medicare reimbursement system that isn't fair. And all 
you have to do is look at States like Iowa and Minnesota, which 
consistently rank in the top five in terms of quality patient outcomes 
and in the bottom five in Medicare reimbursement. Or look at the State 
of Louisiana, where we spend more per Medicare patient than any other 
State, and Louisiana is ranked 50th in objective patient outcome 
measurements.
  That system is flawed. When you base the public health insurance 
option on Medicare plus 5 percent, you perpetuate an inefficient 
system.
  Medical economists will tell you the most effective way to take this 
head on is to address the problem of over-utilization in geographic 
parts of the country which waste money and result in poor patient 
outcomes.
  Unless we incorporate those incentives into this public option and 
address this problem with Medicare, we will never have meaningful 
reform.

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