On the recordMarch 17, 2010
I thank the gentleman for the recognition. One minute is not much time to deal with what is a very complicated process. It is unfortunate we didn't have more time to actually look at this bill before it came to the floor on the concept of expanding the definition of a hospital-based physician for the use and purposes of electronic medical records in the stimulus bill that was passed last year. That's a good provision. That was language that we had asked for in the letter that was signed by 293 Members of this body that went to the acting director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. I do have to point out, Ranking Member Barton is exactly right. This SGR problem is not an emergency. Everyone in this body knew this was going to happen. What this signals us is perhaps the Democrats don't have the votes to pass their health care bill because, otherwise, the fix would be included in their health care bill. The fact that we are having to provide yet another month signals to me that they don't have the votes to pass their larger underlying bill. There is no other Member in this body that wants this SGR fixed more intensely than I do, but this is not the way to go about it. It is not an emergency. It should not come to us at the 11th hour. That is an insult to the Nation's physicians. They can't run their businesses when we always do it in this fashion.
