Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I understand we will have two amendments we will be voting on shortly; they will be the Thune amendment and the Grassley amendment. Let me say a few words about each--first, the Grassley amendment. The Grassley amendment essentially extends the formula under which doctors are paid, reimbursed for Medicare services, by 3 more months. The underlying bill, in the formula known as sustainable growth rate, otherwise known as SGR, extends it for 7 months. Frankly, it is my preference, strange as it may sound, that the extension be not 7 months but 3 months, but when we negotiated out these provisions, it turns out the extension was 7 months. You might ask why I favor a 3-month extension rather than 7 months. There are two reasons. The main reason is that I firmly expect health care reform to be passed within 3 months. If the formula, the sustainable growth rate, is extended for 3 months, that enables us, as soon as health care reform is passed, to then address how we then get a much better solution to the SGR, the sustainable growth rate, and my preference would be a permanent solution. I am afraid if we extend this for, say, 10 months and then health care reform is passed, fixing the permanent formula will not have the same urgency as it otherwise would. So I do very much believe what we have now in the bill--7 months--is better than a 3-month extension.…”