Eva M. Clayton: “we now know that the majority proposes to reduce Medicare spending by $250 billion over the next 7 years. This will mean…”

“we now know that the majority proposes to reduce Medicare spending by $250 billion over the next 7 years. This will mean the average Medicare patient's benefits will be reduced by $132 in 1996 to $2,000 in the balanced budget year 2002. Out-of-pocket costs will rise as well. Each American on Medicare, and their families, can expect to be responsible for thousands of dollars of additional costs per year. The import of these huge spending reductions are profound--less people will have access to quality health care, and our Nation's hospitals will be put at great risk. As Medicare goes under the knife, so too does funding for medical education, especially teaching hospitals, such as Pitt Memorial, in my congressional district. Hospitals like Pitt Memorial receive about 30 percent of their funding for resident training. They get additional funds for graduate medical education programs. These funds provide such hospitals with the financial cushion so that they can continue to provide care for Medicare patients. Who will pick up the slack for this essential funding--certainly not the States, the counties or the people? I invite my colleagues from across the aisle to really consider the impact that these deep spending reductions will have on millions of seniors and their families. This will end Medicare, as we know it. Mr. Speaker, if these huge reductions go into effect. Medicare patients and their families will suffer.”