Political Quotes

“I rise in opposition to the adoption of the conference report on H.R. 483, a bill to permit Medicare select policies to be offered in all States. Let me state that I oppose adoption of this conference report reluctantly. We have underway in a limited number of States, including my own State of California, a demonstration project to study the value and effects of Medicare select policies. I favor letting that demonstration continue. I favor continuing to offer Medicare select policies where they are currently being tested under the demonstration. But I have grave concerns about expanding Medicare select to all States. At the time this bill passed the House I raised these concerns and suggested the prudent course would be to wait and receive the evaluation of the demonstration that was underway. We did not. Now, before the conference was concluded, HCFA provided us with some preliminary information that the evaluation was finding. And that information should give pause to any prudent legislator. They found that Medicare select was significantly associated with cost increases in spending in the Medicare program itself in 8 of the 12 States where select policies were offered.”