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[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 85 (Monday, May 22, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7078-S7079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                  CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the concurrent 
resolution.
  Mr. COHEN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.

                           Amendment No. 1116

(Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate regarding losses of trust 
         funds due to fraud and abuse in the Medicare program)

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for 
its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Maine [Mr. Cohen] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 1116.

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 94, after line 21, add the following new section:

     SEC.   . SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING LOSSES OF TRUST FUNDS 
                   DUE TO FRAUD AND ABUSE IN THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--
       (1) the General Accounting Office estimates that as much as 
     $100,000,000,000 are wasted each year in the health care 
     system due to fraud and abuse;
       (2) outlays for the medicare program under title XVIII of 
     the Social Security Act during fiscal year 1994 were 
     $161,100,000,000, and the General Accounting Office estimates 
     that up to 10 percent of those outlays were wasted because of 
     fraud and abuse;
       (3) medicare beneficiaries incur higher out-of-pocket costs 
     and copayments due to inflated billings resulting from 
     fraudulent and abusive practices perpetrated against the 
     medicare program; and
       (4) funds lost because of fraud and abuse are contributing 
     to financial crises of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust 
     Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust 
     Fund, as identified by the Boards of Trustees of such trust 
     funds in their 1995 annual reports.
       (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that as the Committee on Finance of the Senate and, if 
     established, the Bipartisan Commission on the Solvency of 
     [[Page S7079]] Medicare recommended under section 307, 
     address the long-term solvency of the medicare program under 
     title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et 
     seq.), high priority should be given to proposals which 
     identify, eliminate, and recover funds expended from the 
     Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal 
     Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund due to, fraud and 
     abuse in such program.

  Mr. EXON. Will the Senator yield for a question?
  Mr. COHEN. Yes, I yield for a question.
  Mr. EXON. The Senator from North Dakota has a bill that he would like 
to proceed to introduce, as in morning business, and take 10 minutes to 
talk about it. It has nothing to do with the measure at hand. After the 
conclusion of the opening remarks on the offering of his amendment, I 
would appreciate that side accommodating the Senator from North Dakota, 
if that is satisfactory, and the time will be charged to us.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, might I inquire, the Senator said it is 
unrelated to the budget?
  Mr. EXON. Yes, unrelated to the budget.
  Mr. DOMENICI. We have a similar request, Mr. President. Did the 
Senator from Wyoming wish some time? Did he not want to introduce a 
bill?
  Mr. THOMAS. Three minutes, if I may.
  Mr. DOMENICI. May we have, immediately following, 3 minutes for the 
junior Senator from Wyoming?
  Mr. EXON. I assume the Senator from Maine would want to go ahead and 
offer his amendment at this time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine offered the amendment.
  Mr. EXON. I thank the Senator from Maine and the chairman of the 
committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. We will 
proceed with the Senator from North Dakota, followed by the Senator 
from Wyoming for 3 minutes, and then the Senator from Maine.
  Mr. CONRAD. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Conrad pertaining to the introduction of S. 840 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senator from 
Wyoming is recognized.
  Mr. LOTT. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. THOMAS. Yes.

                          ____________________
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