Medicare Improvements For Patients And Providers Act Of 2008 - - Veto Message From The President Of The United States
Floor Speech
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Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, although these much-needed updates for physician payments are the crux of today's bill, numerous improvements to the Medicare program and beneficiary protections are also included. It also provides incentives for physicians to use e-prescribing technology, and it extends and vastly improves low-income-assistance programs for very-low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
And it includes a 2-year reauthorization of the Special Diabetes Programs for Type 1 diabetes and for American Indians, which has been a priority of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus for many years. Thanks to over a decade of investment in the Special Diabetes Programs, we can point to tangible and significant progress, such as the creation of an artificial pancreas, that is improving the lives of many people.
And this multiyear reauthorization was just what we needed. I want to talk for a minute about Medicare Advantage though. Medicare Advantage was originally conceived of as a way to save money in the Medicare system. But the way it has evolved over the years, we now have 13 percent overpayments to the insurance companies that administer Medicare Advantage. There is no evidence that this money goes to the senior citizen beneficiaries. And there is further no evidence that if we cut these overpayments that these senior citizens are going to lose their insurance, because there is no evidence that they're getting that 13 percent overpayment.
Now I would suggest if there was a 13 percent overpayment to the traditional Medicare program, the other side would be having a fit because we would just be throwing money away. But, according to them, it's all right if we throw 13 percent away and give it to private insurance companies.
In my opinion, we need to bring our entire Medicare program into balance no matter how it is being administered. We need to be sure that it's ministered efficiently. And ultimately, we need to restore balance to our entire health care system. Vote ``yes'' to override this veto and restore the physician payments.
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