Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

MEDICARE IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED -- (Senate - July 09, 2008)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, Congress should be embarrassed to have doctors and seniors come hat in hand every 6 months, every 12 months, every 18 months, and say: Please don't cut reimbursement rates for physicians. It is just a terrible way to do business. It puts people in fear that Congress will not act. It also provides opportunities for political gamesmanship that we have seen in an abundance on this particular temporary patch.

The fact is, Congress has only on one previous occasion allowed these cuts to go into effect, in 2002. Every year since it has acted. The fact is, we will. But what we need is a permanent solution, not a temporary patch. This is a terrible way to do business. The fact is, 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. The fact is, many Medicare beneficiaries, many seniors cannot even find a doctor who will accept new Medicare patients because reimbursement rates are below market in many parts of the country. The fact is, the majority leader, by objecting to a 30-day extension of current law to allow a bipartisan compromise between the chairman and ranking 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.

UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 2729

That is why, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. 2729, the Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act, and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?

Mr. BAUCUS. Madam President, reserving the right to object, I have looked at the Senator's bill, and I must say that any objective observer would know that this is not a serious effort. It is a big warm kiss on doctors to show to them that 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. I regret the Senator from Texas has the audacity to bring this up.

I object.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I take exception to the chairman of the Finance Committee's insulting remarks. I would say to him that on this bill I have worked in consultation with the Texas Medical Association, which has endorsed it heartily, and what people should be insulted by are these temporary patches every 6 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 at keeping our commitment for Medicare.

I think it is the chairman of the Finance Committee and the majority leader who should be embarrassed by their objection to sensible and good-faith efforts to try to fix on a permanent basis this broken system. I regret Congress, once again--no wonder the U.S. Congress has a single-digit approval rating, with only 9 percent of the country believing it is doing a good or excellent job.

It is no secret that people are absolutely disgusted with the partisan politics that do not permit real solutions to serious problems, such as fixing Medicare once and for all, and particularly this part that is broken, the 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 is a very sad day for the Senate.

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