Liz Saville Roberts: “First off, I thank the Senator so much for taking this time to draw attention to a very serious problem. I know the…”

“First off, I thank the Senator so much for taking this time to draw attention to a very serious problem. I know the Senator from Maine is experiencing the same thing I am experiencing in Kansas and all Senators are experiencing when they go back home. Every hospital board--beleagured hospital boards--every hospital administrator, all of the rural health care delivery system--it is not only applicable to rural areas but all over--have been questioning me and our colleagues about when are we going to do something with regard to the Medicare reimbursement. The Senator has indicated--I underlined it in the Senator's remarks: It is also critical that Congress take action this year to address some of the unintended consequences of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. . . . We should have done it this spring. The Senator from Maine and I talked about it. We should have done it last year. We did certainly provide that assistance. I wish we could have done that earlier. We are going to do that. Then the Senator also said: . . . [and also some problems] which have been exacerbated by a host of ill-conceived regulatory requirements imposed by the Clinton administration-- And the folks at HCFA. That is a marvelous acronym, HCFA. I will tell you what, if that is not a four-letter word in the minds and eyes of people who have to provide health care services throughout our country, I do not know what is.”