J. Exon: “The Republican majority may assert that premiums are not going up, but they cannot make the same claim about seniors'…”

“The Republican majority may assert that premiums are not going up, but they cannot make the same claim about seniors' out-of-pocket expenses to pay their medical bills. The $123 billion reduction in the growth of the Medicare hospital insurance spending will particularly devastate rural and urban hospitals. The Republicans assert that it is necessary to preserve the solvency of the trust fund through the year 2006. Not true, Mr. President. President Clinton's budget proposal extends the life of the trust fund without such deep reductions as the Republicans are proposing. The Republican-appointed CBO Director has certified, and I say this again, that the administration's proposal would extend the life of the Medicare hospital insurance trust fund until the year 2005. What about Medicaid? What about Medicaid reform? Reform was the Republican rallying cry, but instead of attempting to reform Medicaid in a manner that would be acceptable to mainstream America, the Republican majority paddled up one of their right-wing tributaries and came out with something new.”