[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3838-3839]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      A THREAT TO OUR HEALTH CARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Walberg) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, this Friday, March 23, marks the second 
anniversary of President Obama's health care law after 2 years. It's 
clear the law has already left more victims in its path than people it 
was meant to help. And unfortunately, along with the 20 million 
employees who will probably lose employer-sponsored health care, it may 
be our seniors who take the hardest hit.
  Millions of seniors and disabled Americans rely on Medicare, yet the 
program is in danger. According to the Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services, with the baby boomer generation about to retire, if 
nothing is done to the program, the program will be bankrupt in 10 
years.
  Instead of making Medicare stronger through transparent and 
responsible reform, the President has decided to cut more than $500 
billion from the program, money which will then be used to fund his new 
health care law.
  If taking nearly half a trillion dollars from the already crippled 
program weren't bad enough, the President has handpicked a special 
panel to slash away at the program even more. He knows our country is 
facing a budget shortfall. Instead of implementing responsible and 
transparent reforms, the President wants to take away benefits from 
Medicare recipients to fund his agenda for new entitlements.
  The panel, known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, 
is a group of unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats who will 
essentially be given power to ration care and even deny seniors 
lifesaving treatments. Its members are not required to hold public 
hearings or disclose their meetings. Their salaries will be paid 
directly out of trust funds used to pay Medicare beneficiaries' health 
care claims.
  Worse yet, doctors and patients can not challenge the IPAB's decision 
in court. Without a three-fifths majority in both Chambers, Congress 
has no

[[Page 3839]]

power to change decisions. While this select group rakes in the perks, 
it will be the seniors left holding the short end of the stick.
  The health care law--and IPAB in particular--will threaten their 
access to quality care. Medicare is already known for its low 
reimbursement rates. Physicians receive about 20 percent less from 
Medicare than private health plans, forcing many to stop accepting 
patients just to stay in business. Seniors will be left with fewer 
options, and they may even be told they can no longer see their own 
doctors.
  That's why, when I talk to seniors in my district, they are scared of 
this law. They're worried about being left with fewer options; they are 
worried about not being able to see their own doctors; and they are 
worried about the government cutting even more from the program. It's 
not just in my district where this concern is prevalent. According to a 
recent nationwide poll, 60 percent of our Nation's seniors have an 
unfavorable view of the law.
  Access to quality care for seniors should be a top priority and will 
remain so with me. I believe health care decisions should be made by 
patients, families, and their doctors, and not by bureaucrats in 
Washington, who are burdening seniors and future generations with less 
choice, fewer services, and more debt.
  House Republicans remain committed to strengthening and reforming 
Medicare to protect today's seniors and to make sure the program is 
still there for the next generation.

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