Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am pleased to see that after 12 years of temporary patches to delay cuts under the Sustainable Growth Rate, Congress is finally acting to reform the Medicare physician payment system for the long term. In so doing, we not only ensure access to care for seniors but also help improve the quality of care they receive through Medicare. However, I am disappointed that the same certainty is not provided to children and families impacted by the Children's Health Insurance program, CHIP. This legislation extends funding for CHIP for 2 years and continues policies that encourage enrollment in the program. But it does not extend this critical funding for a much longer period of time, like the 4 years my colleagues and I have been urging for months. We are missing a crucial opportunity to ensure that children and pregnant women have access to comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage for years to come. Currently, more than 10 million children benefit from this program. In 2 years, funding for this program will expire, putting children at risk of becoming uninsured once again. Moreover, the bill takes the same temporary approach with respect to the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting, MIECHV, program, Community Health Centers, and other initiatives. I am also concerned that Medicare beneficiaries will see increases in out-of-pocket costs to help pay for the legislation.…”