Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2, Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, and Providing for Proceedings During the Period from March 27, 2015, Through April 10, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. BERA. I want to thank my colleague from Massachusetts for
yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, as a doctor who has cared for hundreds of seniors on
Medicare, this is an important step forward because, for over a decade,
we have had this flawed formula that has put the security of seniors'
health care access at risk.

I want to applaud Dr. Burgess, and I want to applaud the bipartisan
Doctors Caucus. You will hear from a lot of doctors here in Congress
that this is a step forward because, when we took our oath to practice
medicine, we took an oath to put our patients first.

This is a good bill that puts our patients first: our seniors, folks
who have worked their whole lives and who now, in retirement, need that
security of being able to see their doctors. This bill repeals a flawed
formula that has been patched 17 times over the years, and it replaces
it with a better formula, a formula that moves us away from this fee-
for-service model and that moves us toward practicing higher quality
care and putting our patients first.

It is not a perfect bill. Like many, I am disappointed to see the
Hyde amendment included in this bill. I have always stood against the
Hyde amendment and against other attempts to restrict a woman's right
to make her own reproductive health decisions.

The Hyde amendment is a temporary rider that expires every year; and
we, along with many women across this country, look forward to the day
when it will end. I came to Congress to put people first. I came to
Congress to work across the aisle in a bipartisan way and to put our
country first, and this is a great attempt.

Again, I applaud the doctors in Congress. I applaud the members of
the Energy and Commerce Committee, the members of the Ways and Means
Committee, the Speaker, and the leader of the Democratic Party here in
the House for working together to put people first.

This is a good bill as 7.4 million patients will still have access to
care at community health centers, 8 million low-income children and
pregnant women will still have access to care through the CHIP program,
49 million patients are enrolled in Medicare, and another 10,000 baby
boomers enroll every day. This is a good thing.

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Mr. BERA. Mr. Speaker, we have got to honor the promises that we have
made to our constituents and to the people of America. We have got to
honor the promises that we have made to our patients and doctors. This
is a good bill.

I look forward to voting for and passing this bill today and to
continuing to move America forward.

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