Bob Casey

Improving care for Medicare patients with chronic conditions is a matter that I think we are all very interested in.

I urge CMS to consider that.

As Chairman Hatch noted, I have been passionate about this issue for some time, but now, with the input and efforts of the whole Finance Committee, I believe that we can craft a bipartisan solution.

I have received a number of valuable comments along the way, and I intend to work closely with Chairman Hatch, Senator Isakson, and Senator Warner.

Thank you, Senator Isakson. Both doctors, thank you for being here, and we are grateful for your testimony and for your work on this.

Medicare needs to encourage teams of providers to coordinate care for their patients with chronic conditions.

I have been working on the adoption of a collaborative care model.

I appreciate that, and I think it bears repeating.

In Pennsylvania, we have not only a lot of children participating in both school lunch and school breakfast... but at the same time, we have almost a half-a-million children in poverty in our State.

I have always been a believer that these programs... can help us not only ensure that more children have a measure of food security and get the nutrition they need, but it can also help them learn.

On this question of direct certification, do you think that increasing participation in community eligibility and direct certification would help reduce improper payments?

The second major concern we have, of course, is not only making sure these programs work for kids, but making sure they are administered in a way that is consistent with the expectations of taxpayers.

We may put those on a chart so we can have them in front of us.

I am honored to be able to appear before you and to appear on behalf of Dr. Shulkin.

I just have a last question, I guess, for Dr. Austin regarding the so-called tissue chip.

I appreciate that, and maybe we'll followup with some questions about companies that are interested in seeking a priority review voucher.

I wanted to ask you, in the context of rare pediatric diseases--I understand that FDA recently awarded the third and final priority review voucher as authorized under FDASIA.

Mr. Chairman, thank you. I want to thank you and the Ranking Member for the hearing.

Neither political party has come up with an answer to that central challenge.

My concern here, with both Trade Promotion Authority and TPP, is the same concern I had about NAFTA...

I think the country can do better.

I would argue, and in a very similar way to what Senator Schumer said about the middle class, that our central challenge as a country, at least our central domestic challenge, is, how do we solve this wage problem?

When you analyze the so-called May 10th provisions and how they have fallen short--I think very few Americans, very, very few, a very tiny percentage of Americans, know the story about what has happened in some of these countries to trade…

I think this process is wholly inadequate in terms of being able to consider such an important policy.

I want to go on the record sharing Senator Cardin's concerns about the process here.