Political Quotes

“I want to first acknowledge the hard work and leadership of my colleague on the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Johnson of Texas, as well as our committee chairman, Mr. Camp of Michigan. Both gentlemen recognize the urgency of finding practical solutions for protecting seniors and taxpayers against easily preventable Medicare waste, fraud and improper payments, and the ever increasing threat of identity theft. Mr. Speaker, whenever someone in Washington proposes a new idea for shrinking costs and saving precious taxpayer dollars, we usually receive a barrage of questions from folks concerned that they will have to do with less and possibly see services they depend upon curtailed in some way. This legislation we're considering today contains provisions that would kick-start a critically important process that ultimately may allow Congress to use commonsense technology in cutting an estimated $60 billion a year in improper and fraudulent Medicare payments while making sure seniors enrolled in Medicare receive the care and treatment they have earned. {time} 1500 We're attempting to cut costs without restricting access to care. Specifically, this legislation authorizes a study by the Government Accountability Office examining the benefits of a proposed pilot program to modernize the Medicare card that almost every senior carries with him or her in a wallet or a pocketbook.…”