FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 9, 2008
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison Issues a Statement on Medicare
Votes in favor of Bill to Prevent Medicare Payment Cuts for Doctors
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Texas’s senior Senator, released the following statement today after voting in favor of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Extension Act, preventing Medicare payment cuts for doctors:
“I voted in favor of cloture on the Medicare bill because I felt the risk to senior citizens and service members who might not continue receiving treatment by physicians, due to reduced Medicare reimbursements, was too great. Time had simply run out.
“I remain concerned that the content of, and the manner in which, the bill was presented was destructive to work in a bipartisan manner.
“The United States Senate has a long history of allowing members of both the majority and the minority to offer amendments, debate changes, and ensure that the concerns and ideas of every Senator are addressed.
“I felt so strongly about this, that I personally called Senator Harry Reid and asked that he permit at least a minimum number of amendments on each side. He refused.
“Traditionally a majority of Senators will decide an issue after bipartisan deliberation. But, in this case, the majority decided the issue with no input from the minority.
“Now our senior citizens and service members will continue to have the benefits of being treated by doctors who will receive the full reimbursement under the law. That is a good outcome.
“The method by which we reached that outcome, however, is not in the best long-term interests of the Senate nor of the American people.”
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