Political Quotes

“I rise so that the record will reflect the following point about the Medicare Advantage program and its application in Puerto Rico. For a variety of reasons, relatively few Medicare beneficiaries in Puerto Rico are enrolled in Part B. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPac) has determined that, as a result, fee-for-service reimbursement rates for providers on the Island are artificially low and unstable. Over the past year, I have worked with the House Committee on Ways and Means to examine ways to address this problem. In the report accompanying the health care reform bill it approved, the Committee candidly acknowledged the problem and urged CMS to use its existing authority to adjust the reimbursement rates in Puerto Rico. I strongly supported this language and believe it is still operative. Working with Committee leadership and my colleagues, I will do everything within my power to ensure that CMS uses its current authority to make certain that reimbursement rates to MA providers in Puerto Rico are fair. The language included in the House Ways and Means Committee report is: The phase-down of MA payments to FFS costs applies equally to all 50 states and the territories, however, Puerto Rico is a unique situation that the Committee expects that the Secretary will use authority under current law to examine.”