Tom Latham: “I wanted to obviously stand here in support of the Balanced Budget Act and the provisions as far as the taxes. But one…”

“I wanted to obviously stand here in support of the Balanced Budget Act and the provisions as far as the taxes. But one thing that is very, very important to the State of Iowa and all rural parts of this country is the reimbursement changes that are made in Medicare. In my congressional district, our reimbursement averages about $311 per person per month. In some of the urban parts of the country, it is $750 per person per month. In those areas, seniors have the option in their health care for eyeglasses, hearing aids, prescription drugs, even memberships at health clubs. We have none of that available. In this act we finally address the inequity between rural and urban parts of this country with the base now going to $367. It is extremely positive. I want to thank the committee and all the people who worked so very hard on this to address this real problem. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the Balanced Budget Act as it comes before this body for a vote. Although this bill includes some items that I support and others that I would have preferred to have been left out, we should all recognize the bill as a product of bipartisan compromise and achievement. I am especially proud of the work this House and the Senate have done to increase Medicare choices for seniors. Bring equity to seniors from rural areas, like northwest Iowa, has been a priority of mine since I've been in Congress.”