Alan Simpson: “I am now a member of that committee and I sat in on those hearings. They were often held at 9:30, 10 o'clock in the…”

“I am now a member of that committee and I sat in on those hearings. They were often held at 9:30, 10 o'clock in the morning. Had I been chairman I might also have sought to have them in the afternoon. I was there for almost all of them, usually arriving after some haste ill-attained in getting through the D.C.'s fabled rush hour traffic from my home in Virginia. We held 10 full Finance Committee hearings last year on Medicare alone--10. They were not about abstract, philosophical topics, but subjects directly related to the solutions presented in our budget proposal. On May 11, 16 and 17 we had hearings specifically on the question of how to restore solvency to the Medicare Program. We tackled the issue of payment policies in hearings on July 19 and 20. We explored more comprehensive reforms on July 25 and July 26. On August 30 we dealt with the subject which I personally think requires much more, much more attention--the 30-year future of Medicare. That is when the real problems all coalesce. This is only part of the list, as the record will show. We also had multiple hearings on Medicaid. The proposals which we made in the course of budget reconciliation were all explored in depth at those hearings. The opinions of the Governors regarding our plan was heard on June 28. The importance of flexibility for the State Governments in administering Medicaid was explored July 12.”