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Floor Statement: Medicare Reform and the Insuring The Future Physician Workforce Act of 2008

Medicare Reform and the Insuring The Future Physician Workforce Act of 2008 - Wednesday, July 09, 2008 View video | Can't view the video?

Madam President, Congress should be embarrassed to have doctors and seniors come hat in hand every six months, every twelve months, every eighteen months and say, please don't cut reimbursement rates for physicians. It's just a terrible way to do business. It puts people in fear that Congress will not act and it also provides opportunities for political gamesmanship that we've seen in an Abundance on this particular temporary patch.

The fact of the matter is, Congress has only on one previous occasion allowed these cuts altogether into effect -- in 2002. Every year since it's acted and the fact of the matter is we will here. But what we need is a permanent solution, not a temporary patch. This is a a terrible way to do business. The fact of the matter is that Medicare is a deeply troubled program. In fact, it will go bankrupt, parts of it, by the year 2019. But Congress is just whistling past the graveyard, whistling past the graveyard. We need a permanent solution to this broken Medicare system. And the fact is, many Medicare beneficiaries, many seniors can't even find a doctor who will accept new Medicare patients because reimbursement rates are below market in many parts of the country. And the fact of the matter is the Majority Leader, by objecting to a 30-day extension of current law to allow a bipartisan compromise between the chairman and rank member of the Finance Committee, is doing nothing but playing partisan politics with something that should be above partisan politics. We need a permanent solution.

That's why, Madam President -- I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S.2729, the Insuring The Future Physician Workforce Act, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. And that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table and any statement relating to the measure appear at the appropriate place in the record as if read.

The Presiding Officer: Is there objection?

Senator Baucus: Madam President, reserving the right to object, I've looked at the Senator's bill, and I must say any objective observer would know that this is in the a serious effort. This is a big, warm kiss on doctors to show to them they love doctors when in fact this is going nowhere. It is a $380 billion bill unpaid for. It is not a serious effort whatsoever and I regret that the Senator from Texas has the audacity to bring this up, and I object.

The Presiding Officer: The objection is heard.

Mr. Cornyn: Mr. President, I take exception to the Chairman of the Finance Committee's insulting remarks. I would say to him that this bill I've worked in consultation with the Texas Medical Association, who endorsed it heartily, and what people should be insulted by is these temporary patches every six months that do nothing to solve the problem, that provide a political football for the majority party to play to try to take advantage in the next election, to put seniors in doubt as to our seriousness in keeping our commitment for Medicare, and I think it is the Chairman of the Finance Committee and the Majority Leader who should be embarrassed by their objection to a sensible and good-faith effort to try to fix on a permanent basis this broken system.

I regret that Congress once again -- no wonder the United States Congress has a single-digit approval rating with only 9% of the country believing it's doing a good or excellent job. It's no secret that people are absolutely disgusted with the partisan politics here that prevent real solutions to serious problems like fixing Medicare once and for all and particularly this part -- this broken payment reimbursement system. So I take very grave exception to the remarks of the Chairman of the Finance Committee. It is he who is not serious about solving the problem. It is he who insists on partisan gamesmanship rather than real solutions. And I think it's a very sad day for the United States Senate.