Don Nickles: “I was pleased to join him as an original cosponsor of this bill, because I believe that this is a fundamental issue of…”

“I was pleased to join him as an original cosponsor of this bill, because I believe that this is a fundamental issue of freedom for all senior citizens. Every senior citizen should have the fundamental right to pay out of their own pocket for the health care they want from the physician they choose. President Clinton has repeatedly stated, most recently in his State of the Union address, that "all Americans should have the right to choose the doctor they want for the care they need." But apparently, the administration does not believe this should apply to Medicare beneficiaries. In fact, during the debate on the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997, the administration repeatedly stated their opposition to giving his unfettered freedom to senior citizens. Finally, the administration agreed to drop their objections to this provision if the BBA would grant seniors only limited freedom with certain restrictions. In the spirit of compromise, the BBA included a limited provision to allow physicians to enter into private contracts for Medicare-covered services. Unfortunately, the provision in the BBA did not go far enough.”