[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6388]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           MEDICARE SOLVENCY

  (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ANDREWS. In the CMS report the minority references, the ``M'' 
stands for Medicare. CMS is in the business of counting and accounting 
for the Medicare program. Here's what they said:
  Under the law before the health care bill passed, Medicare was going 
to run out of money in 2017. We have extended the life now to 2029 and 
can build on that to save Medicare.
  The report also says that they made estimates, subject to 
interpretation, about health care costs in the rest of the system, but 
here's what they assumed:
  They assumed that medical records sharing and technology won't save 
any money. Most people think it will. They assumed that wellness 
programs that stop people from smoking and start exercising won't save 
any money. Most people think it will. They assumed that insurance 
companies having to compete with each other will not save any money. 
Most people think that it will.
  The fact of the matter is the health care law extends the life of 
Medicare by 12 years, something the erstwhile majority never did when 
it was in the majority.

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