Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I introduce the Graduate Medical Education, GME, Reform Act, along with my colleague Senator Kyl. This legislation is a continuation of my longstanding efforts to support our future health care workforce and improve patient care. While there are a variety of initiatives to support the education and training of physicians, none are more substantial than the GME funding provided by Medicare. This program either directly or indirectly supports every single physician trained in this country. No other Federal or State program can claim this credit. Unfortunately, the size of the program has led some to propose its funding be cut and redirected toward deficit reduction. The President's Fiscal Commission, the Domenici-Rivlin plan, and even some Members of Congress have made this recommendation. Reducing GME funding by the levels specified in these proposals could be devastating to training programs. These proposals stem from an assertion by the congressionally authorized Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, MedPAC, that teaching hospitals are overpaid for the education and training they currently provide residents, and that GME funding should be better used to align residency training with key improvements in our health care delivery system. However, the Fiscal Commission and the Rivlin-Domenici plan ignored the latter aspect of MedPAC's recommendation. MedPAC did not recommend removing GME funding from the system.…”