Roy Blunt

What obstacles do you see in telehealth?

So where are going to spend $20 million less than you are spending this year?

The odds are somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 percent that you will get that money back.

Yes, it is. I think their payer mix, looking at that hospital, it's almost exactly the same payer mix described.

What programs are you going to decrease?

Certainly, Senator Murray and I both have an interest in this. I look forward to working with her and the rest of the committee to ensure that all Americans, regardless of where they live, have access to affordable health care.

Everybody on the panel understands that, but I don't. How would you have Medicare bad debt?

And the hospital improvement program that you would continue is a $25 million program?

I think we expect you to get back to us on that, but I think the point is well made that these rural hospitals are not in the profit-making business.

The changes may not go far enough in terms of trying to correct what is wrong with the RAC program.

I am for national defense, and I am for looking for ways to help do that even with the current law.

I think the precision medicine discussion, the BRAIN discussion, and the strategic plan discussion, probably make enough news for today.

The suicide rate in the military, particularly in active duty, has gone up significantly, doubled, actually surpassing the civilian rate.

I would encourage that discussion as much as possible, while we want to look at things that truly can be life threatening, but otherwise, let this develop on its own.

We should expect that report by when?

Rather than going back to the days of uncertainty and shortsighted counterproductive cuts, we have to build on that bipartisan agreement.

Precision medicine holds great promise for future advancing the treatment of cancer and ultimately the full spectrum of disease.

I am deeply troubled by the steady erosion of NIH's purchasing power over the last decade.

Making sure that we are investing responsibly in our national priorities like research, infrastructure and education remains one of my highest priorities.

Thank you, Senator. I want to comment on two or three points, and then we will go to Senator Murray.

As public servants, it is our intention to be accountable stewards of the taxpayers' money.

I want to encourage you to do that. I am supportive of it.

The President's budget would do just that, by fully replacing sequestration of defense and non-defense discretionary spending.

I would strongly urge you to fully support the Hawaii National Guard's AGR manning requirement given its growing force structure.

If there are legislative obstacles to that kind of model, I believe I would be willing and others would be willing to help you remove some of those obstacles.