Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, there are massive inefficiencies in Medicare that are causing the program to go bankrupt. One example is infusion therapy, or the intravenous delivery of medication administered to patients suffering from cancer or serious infection for which they cannot just take a pill. But it requires specialized equipment and supervision and often lasts several hours a day over a period of several weeks. It's very expensive for patients to get this care in a hospital. Although private plans have been covering home infusion therapy for decades, Medicare still forces people to go to a hospital, where they also have increased risk for infection by going there, and it costs thousands of dollars for delivery, as opposed to hundreds of dollars when they get it at home. That's why today, Representative Eliot Engel and I are reintroducing the Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act, so patients can receive the same treatment in the comfort and convenience of their home at a lower cost. Our bill saves taxpayers money, about $6 billion over 10 years. Mr. Speaker, our proof is that this is one more way we can find significant savings in Medicare, or simply wait for the program to go bankrupt. And I urge all of my colleagues to support our bill to give patients better quality and better care at lower costs. ____________________”