I can see that where you are kind of diverting the answer, because telehealth is not going to be an answer for many of the problems that we are talking about.

people have told me that I go to the VHA for my congestive heart failure and I see a different physician every time, that concerns me that that patient is not getting the best of care

I don't like the fact that we don't have an answer. Apparently, right now, physicians are seeing patients slowly in one hospital and then maybe more effectively in another because of the staffing issues within their clinic.

I have practiced in a rural VA hospital and I think Iron Mountain did it really well.

My goal as Chairman, in part, is: (1) to ensure that when a veteran accesses health care through VA, he or she is met with timely, consistent, high quality care and services and is unburdened by lengthy wait times or unnecessary travel…

to keep the dollars we spend on VA health care close to the bedsides of our veteran patients - that is to say, to prioritize patient care above administrative costs and bureaucratic overhead that serve the Department more than it serves…

My goal as Chairman, in part, is: to ensure that when a veteran accesses health care through VA, he or she is met with timely, consistent, high quality care and services and is unburdened by lengthy wait times or unnecessary travel…

My biggest concern is the fact that our veterans are suffering because there is inadequate staffing.

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, you testified before the Subcommittee on Health during an oversight hearing entitled, ``Meeting Patient Care Needs: Measuring the Value of VA Physician Staffing Standards.''

I am convinced that these problems are rooted at least partly in the issue we will discuss today - the persistent lack of staffing standards at VA medical facilities.

I look forward to working with her and the many new and returning Members of the Subcommittee individually and collectively to improve and protect the health of our honored veterans.

Today, I don't want to hear excuses. I want to hear solutions.

I am honored to have been selected to serve as Chairman of this important Subcommittee, and I am pleased that Julia Brownley of California has been selected to serve as Ranking Member.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Like all of my colleagues, I come before you today very concerned about my fellow Americans whose lives were torn apart in October of 2012 due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy, like many natural disasters before it, has…

I just want to use the balance of my time to say $50 million is able to be spent in a larger area, with more impact, if the spending is done with priorities determined by local contributions, and that it's not going to be the best grant…

I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan will be postponed. Amendment No. 11 Offered by Mr. Bishop of Utah The Acting CHAIR…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 28, strike the proviso beginning on line 20. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 23, the…

Thanks to the gentleman from Texas. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to urge my colleagues to support my legislation, H.R. 3378, a bill to name the post office building in Munising, Michigan, after the late Mrs. Elizabeth Kinnunen…

If the American people are paying for the technology, you know, shouldn't there be some sort of a limit as to, you know, what these private companies can do with the technology if it is somehow associated with a taxpayer investment?

The time has come for Congress to enact comprehensive tax reform and to reduce Federal spending in order to create jobs and boost the economy. Our Nation is facing significant challenges--a weak economy, record deficits, and a Federal…

While today we commemorate Chairman Hall becoming the oldest Member to vote in the House of Representatives, we truly honor him, not for his age, but for the leadership, dedication, and commitment he has displayed since he was first…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 15, line 16, insert ``, including health effects associated with regulatory costs'' before the…

My amendment is very simple. It's a single line that adds, at line 15, ``including the health effects associated with the regulatory costs.'' It's a simple principle. Regulations cost money to implement. No one will dispute that. In fact…

Thank you. I truly appreciate my colleague from Maryland taking a little time to be with us tonight and give us his insight as a physician here on the floor. I would like to say a few words about IPAB. This is the Independent Payment…