[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5772]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   GOVERNOR HALEY BARBOUR SPEAKS AT CONGRESSIONAL HEALTH CARE CAUCUS

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, today the Congressional Health Caucus was 
joined by Governor Haley Barbour from Mississippi as part of our 
``Thought Leaders Series.'' His leadership in health care in his home 
State is an example of how States can take a more prominent role and, 
in doing so, bend the cost curve in the correct direction.
  In the last fiscal year, Medicaid, which is a joint Federal and State 
program, cost our country more than $400 billion, and the price is only 
expected to increase in the years to come. Governor Barbour has been a 
leader in transforming Medicaid in his home State. He has made 
commonsense decisions to reduce rising drug costs to ensure that people 
who are enrolled in the program are, indeed, eligible for the program. 
Coordinated care and increased compliance all have led to improved 
outcomes.
  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will only compound the 
financial problems that States are facing. In 2014, States will see 
their Medicaid enrollments grow substantially when all people below 138 
percent of the Federal poverty level will be covered. It is essential 
that we examine this and other parts of the Affordable Care Act to 
ensure that our States are not pushed into an even deeper budgetary 
crisis.

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