Pete Stark: “As public policy makers, we should encourage, in every way possible, our constituents and Medicare beneficiaries to seek…”

Thank you for holding this hearing and thank our witnesses for their service.

I dislike the notion that we need to increase costs for beneficiaries in order to fix the physician payment system.

First, you could pay the penalty and remain uninsured.

If we had vouchers, or whatever you want to call premium support things, the Medicare would stop being a defined benefit plan and become a defined contribution plan, would it not?