January 6, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E19 

other coverage and showed proof of that coverage. As such, parents would retain the 

choice to enroll eligible kids in private plans or 

other Government programs such as Medicaid 

or SCHIP. However, if a lapse in the other insurance coverage occurred, MediKids would 

automatically fill in the gap. 

MediKids doesn’t have complicated enrollment and eligibility hoops. Instead, it assures 

that families will always have access to affordable health insurance for their children, and it 

ensures that all children get a truly healthy 

start in life. 

MediKids was originally written in close collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics. They have endorsed MediKids as the 

best way to provide health coverage to all our 

children. The bill has also been endorsed by 

the Children’s Defense Fund, Families USA, 

the National Association of Children’s Hospitals, and other organizations advocating for 

better health care for America’s children. As 

we work on health care reform, we need to 

pay particular attention to the unique needs of 

our Nation’s children. MediKids is a model that 

accomplishes that goal. 

f 

INTRODUCTION OF THE MEDICARE 

ACCESS TO REHABILITATION 

ACT OF 2009 

HON. XAVIER BECERRA OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to introduce the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Act of 2009 with Representatives 

ROY BLUNT and MIKE ROSS. This important bill 

repeals the monetary caps that limit beneficiary access to medically necessary outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy, 

and speech-language pathology services. 

Senators JOHN ENSIGN and BLANCHE LINCOLN

are introducing this legislation in the Senate. 

To remove all uncertainty for Medicare 

beneficiaries about being able to receive the 

appropriate therapy, the bipartisan Medicare 

Access to Rehabilitation Act of 2009 creates a 

stable payment environment so that health 

professionals can focus on providing quality 

health care. Rehabilitation services provided 

by physical therapists, occupational therapists, 

and speech language pathologists are essential to assisting individuals reach their highest 

functional level possible and the monetary 

caps are inconsistent with this objective. 

A March 2008 Center for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services (CMS) study provided evidence that enforcement of the monetary caps 

could cause Medicare beneficiaries harm 

since it may require them to delay necessary 

medical care, force others to assume higher 

out-of-pocket costs, and disrupt the continuum 

of care for many seniors and individuals with 

disabilities. Specifically, the study provided 

data that the sickest patients who suffered 

from Parkinson’s disease or who have multiple 

medical problems were most likely to exceed 

the monetary caps. 

Since inclusion of the caps in the Balanced 

Budget Act of 1997, both Democratic and Republican Congresses and administrations have 

interceded to prevent their implementation and 

enforcement citing the negative impact the 

caps would have on elderly patients’ access to 

necessary services. Most recently, Congress 

extended through 2009 the existing medical 

exceptions process that gives the Secretary of 

Health and Human Services the authority to 

allow patients to exceed the monetary caps if 

deemed medically necessary. 

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to 

continue ensuring that Americans have access 

to the highest quality physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language 

pathology services by supporting this legislation. 

f 

HONORING SUPERVISOR ED ROBEY 

OF LAKE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 

HON. MIKE THOMPSON OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam 

Speaker, I rise today to recognize Supervisor 

Ed Robey on the occasion of his retirement 

from the Lake County Board of Supervisors. 

Supervisor Robey has served the citizens of 

Lake County honorably for 28 years, the last 

12 as a County Supervisor. 

Supervisor Robey has had an illustrious career in public service. Since he was first elected to the Clearlake City Council in 1980, Supervisor Robey has consistently gone the 

extra mile for his constituents. The list of 

boards and commissions he has served on 

during is career is overwhelming. It includes 

LAFCO, the Area Planning Council, the Regional Council of Rural Counties, the California State Association of Counties, the Committee working with the Yolo County Flood 

Control District in regard to Clear Lake water 

rights issues, the Proposition 10/First Five 

Commission, the PEG Board of Directors, 

North Coast Emergency Medical Services, the 

Lake County Community Action Agency Board 

of Directors, the Area Agency on Aging Board 

of Directors, the North Coast Opportunities 

Board of Directors, the Caltrans DEAL Committee, and the County Reclassification Committee, among many others. 

Supervisor Robey will be remembered for 

his great sense of humor and superior accessibility to his constituents. His legislative and 

community accomplishments are much too numerous to be noted here; however, the true 

test of any elected official is if his constituents 

are better off when he retires than when he 

first took office. This is unquestionably the 

case for Supervisor Robey. The citizens of 

Lake County owe him a great debt. 

Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is appropriate at this time that we thank Supervisor Ed 

Robey for his years of dedication and service 

on behalf of Lake County and beyond. He has 

been a model of dignified and effective public 

service. I join his wife Beth, his son and two 

stepchildren in thanking Ed and wishing him a 

lifetime of fulfillment. 

f 

PROTECTING IMPACT AID FOR 

NORTH SUBURBAN SCHOOLS 

HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing a bill to ensure the federal government fulfills an important obligation to the families of service men and women in my district. 

In 1950, President Harry Truman established 

the Impact Aid program to assist school districts and communities that lose their property 

tax base because of the presence of the federal government. Without this federal money, 

the burden would fall to the remaining residents whose property taxes would continue to 

rise while impacting the quality of education 

which can be provided. The Impact Aid program helps to alleviate this problem by directly 

reimbursing public school districts for the loss 

of traditional revenue sources. 

For years Impact Aid was fully funded and 

offered some of the strongest direct assistance to military families across the Nation. Unfortunately, over the last decade we have fallen behind on this commitment, and it is time 

to reverse this trend. 

While I support fully funding the Impact Aid 

program, I believe the situation in my district 

warrants special attention. In order to ensure 

that our students most in need continue to receive necessary resources, I have introduced 

this bill to help North Chicago to continue to 

qualify for heavily impacted payments, and 

Glenview and Highland Park receive fair compensation. 

Due to a unique housing situation for the 

Great Lakes Naval Training Facility, Impact 

Aid funding should be higher in five of my 

school districts. This Naval base is located in 

North Chicago, one of the poorest school districts in my state. However, some service 

members and their families live in Navy housing obtained when Ft. Sheridan and Naval Air 

Station Glenview, located in other suburbs, 

were closed in the 1990’s. These former 

bases are located within the boundaries of 

other school districts that now must bear the 

economic cost of educating children from a 

base, but receive none of the economic benefits a base provides. Thus, it is vitally important that we both ensure North Chicago continues to receive heavily impacted payments 

for the benefit of students living there, and that 

the surrounding communities are more fairly 

compensated for their loss of property taxes. 

By passing this bill, the federal government 

will be fulfilling its responsibility to these communities, and giving our military families the 

support they deserve. 

f 

INTRODUCTION OF THE BALANCED 

BUDGET CONSTITUTIONAL 

AMENDMENT 

HON. BOB GOODLATTE OF VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I rise to 

re-introduce legislation that will amend the 

United States Constitution to force Congress 

to rein in spending by balancing the federal 

budget. 

It is common sense to American families 

that they cannot spend more than they have— 

yet far too frequently, this fundamental principle has been lost on a Congress that is too 

busy spending to pay attention to the bottom 

line. 

Our federal government must be lean, efficient and responsible with the dollars that our 

Nation’s citizens worked so hard to earn. We 


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