Doris Matsui: “the Medicare proposal under consideration today was created using an open, bipartisan process. This process created a…”

“the Medicare proposal under consideration today was created using an open, bipartisan process. This process created a package with many provisions deserving of praise. It includes, for example, a proposal that helps military retirees in obtaining Medicare benefits by waiving a late enrollment penalty for those individuals who have traditionally relied on health care services on military bases. These men and women, who have dedicated their lives to serving the Armed Forces, now often find that the military base on which they have depended for health care is closing. This provision will help the honorable military retirees of Sacramento, CA, who will lose meaningful use of military health facilities when McClellan Air Force Base closes in 2001. I have previously introduced legislation to address this problem, and am pleased to see a solution in the package currently under consideration. There are, however, a number of problems in the Medicare proposal approved in the Ways and Means Committee.”