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Sen. Cornyn: Congress Whistling Past the Medicare Graveyard
Says Democratic-Controlled Senate is Seeking Short-Term Political Gain at Expense of Long-Term Reform for Medicare
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
WASHINGTON—With the Senate expected to vote tomorrow on legislation that would provide a short-term, temporary fix to looming Medicare payment cuts, Senator John Cornyn spoke on the Senate floor this evening and accused the Democratic-controlled Senate of whistling past the Medicare graveyard.
Senator Cornyn noted that the Medicare program is headed towards bankruptcy and another 20% reimbursement cut is scheduled to take place 18 months from now, yet the legislation before the Senate this week does not address either of these critical issues. To date, Senator Cornyn is the only member of the Senate who has introduced a long-term solution to reform the physician payment system. Senator Cornyn’s floor remarks today echoed a statement he made yesterday – “While Democrat leaders in the Senate attempt to pass yet another short-term, band-aid fix, I ask them—why not pass a 30-day extension so we can roll up our sleeves, do the responsible thing, and find a long-term solution to a problem that has and will continue to rear its ugly head each year until it is addressed on a larger scale?”
Below are key excerpts from Senator Cornyn’s floor remarks this evening along with related background information:
“The vote we will apparently have tomorrow afternoon should be an embarrassment to Congress….we should be looking to solve the looming problems with Medicare permanently, and not just with temporary patches or fixes. We need a permanent solution. We should keep our promise to seniors that they can rely on Medicare and provide fair compensation for the physicians to make sure that our seniors will actually have access to that coverage. I've repeatedly heard from seniors in Texas who depend on Medicare but find it hard even to find a physician who will accept below market Medicare reimbursement rates.”
“Congress needs to step up with a permanent solution, not the kind of shameful, temporary patches and fixes that require physicians and other health care providers to come hat-in-hand to Congress every six months or twelve months or eighteen months and leave Medicare beneficiaries in doubt, our seniors, whether, in fact, Congress will do its duty. No one -- no one -- gets to conduct their business this way other than the United States Congress. If you were in the private sector, a small or large business, you'd be out of business or behind bars if you tried to operate your business the same way Congress has dealt with Medicare reimbursement rates.”
“Rather than real reform, the Majority party, has presented us with a bill that prolongs damaging and rigid price controls, sets up increased premiums and increased taxes, abandons some private-sector options and keeps Medicare on the path toward more health care rationing….This partisan bill bypassed not only the Minority in the Senate, it bypassed the Senate Finance Committee, as well. And now we're told by the Majority Leader that he will refuse the opportunity to offer any amendments when the bill comes to the floor. The Democratic-controlled majority have not held one hearing or introduced one piece of legislation in the last six months that begins to address the long-term problems.”
“While many of my colleagues have spoken at great length about their grandiose plans to reform the entirety of America's health care system they seem to whistle past the Medicare graveyard. We can and we must do better. What good is Medicare if there is no access to the coverage?”
“These are just a few of the reasons why over three months ago in anticipation of the looming physician payment cut set for July 1st, I introduced legislation that solves this problem permanently. This legislation, Ensuring The Future Physician Workforce Act of 2008 (S.2729), provides positive reimbursement updates for providers….It does say that the providers and beneficiaries should not be the ones to be punished by Congress's failure to act.”
“While some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle may be content with another shortsighted short-term fix, I suggest we debate and pass a bipartisan solution that will keep the promise of Medicare for seniors but also make sure there will be access to coverage by providing fair compensation for physicians.”
Background:
Sen. Cornyn has been working for some time to find a long-term solution to the physician payment system, do away with the annual spending cap and put a stop to the cuts that rear their ugly head each year. He introduced legislation in March because he had long felt that the current physician payment system is broken. Backed by the Texas Medical Association, his bill, the Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act of 2008, would take several steps to reform the way physicians are reimbursed under Medicare. It would prevent the payment cuts, then eliminate the reimbursement cap and focus on securing a viable, future generation of physicians to provide improved health care at lower costs for patients. Sen. Cornyn’s legislation would also take several steps to improve the physician-patient relationship and help patients better evaluate the care they receive.
He was disappointed Democrat leaders in the Senate did not allow time to reach a compromise solution before the July 4th recess that would have provided a real solution for all Medicare providers and beneficiaries. To make matters worse, Democrat leadership blocked a 30-day extension of current law to prevent the cuts while negotiations continue. Sen. Cornyn does not believe Texas beneficiaries should be caught in the middle of partisan infighting in Washington.
- To view a one-page summary of Senator Cornyn’s legislation, please click here.
- To view Senator Cornyn’s March 6th floor statement introducing the legislation, please click here.
- To view Senator Cornyn’s most recent floor speech from June 26th on this issue, please click here.
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.
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