Marsha Blackburn: “I do thank the gentleman from Texas for his leadership and for, really, his commitment to working these issues through.…”

“I do thank the gentleman from Texas for his leadership and for, really, his commitment to working these issues through. As you have heard him say, dealing with Medicare Advantage issues are important, and it is important that we get them right. That is why I appreciate the fact that we come to the floor with these suspension bills to revisit these issues and say: Look, there are some things that just are not working as they were intended. As you have heard, there has been bipartisan agreement, that the stars rating program needs a revisit, and CMS even agrees that the rules are not working. As the gentleman from New York said, this has a specific effect on the frail, the low-income, those beneficiaries that are the most frail. It also affects the dual eligibles, those that are both Medicare and Medicaid eligible. It is appropriate that we look at this rating program, that we back up and pause and consider the negative impact that some of these arbitrary ratings have on these programs when it may be the only program that is available that will meet these needs. This is common sense. It is the right thing to do. I thank my colleagues that they are willing to say: CMS, it is not working; you have to come to the table with us. This delay, this pause, and a review of the system is appropriate. I thank everyone involved for their leadership, and I do express thanks to Mr.…”