Pete Stark: “I see no reason why Congress should hand that authority over to the executive branch.”

I would first of all like to try to make it the protocol in this committee--I am not succeeding too well--that we strike from our lexicon the word 'disability.'

The home health copayment, for instance, I think is largely ascribed to be used by old, sick, poor widows, and raising the price that they have to pay is just one more Republican effort to deny equal rights to women.

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

I think we have to ask ourselves, how do we do more good than harm in eliminating the compensation arrangements.