Date: 2010-12-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 4994. the "Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act." which makes certain that our seniors and military families are able to continue seeing their doctors. Scheduled for January 1 and through 2011. this bipartisan legislation stops the 25 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors. This very important legislation protects and supports our doctors who are serving Medicare recipients and active duty military. their families. the Reserve members and military retirees whose access to healthcare is tied to Medicare through the TRICARE system. If we fail to pass this legislation we are doing an extreme injustice to numerous Americans who depend on these doctors and this Congress for their healthcare. In my Congressional District. Riverside General Hospital (RGH). a member of the TRICARE network can ensure military families will be able to continue to see their doctors. Riverside General Hospital. formerly The Houston Negro Hospital was erected in 1926 in memory of Lieutenant John Halm Cullinan. 344th FA.. 90th Div. AEP. St. Joseph Medical Center. in Houston. Texas. in my district. the only hospital in the inner city of Houston. can now continue to provide access to Medicare beneficiaries to Houstons most needy patient population as a result of this legislation in its current form. Currently. St. Josephs provides $14 million in uninsured care in the Houston Market. St. Joseph Medical Center provides a full range of comprehensive medical and surgical services. such as. cardiology. cancer care. behavioral health. intensive care/critical care. emergency care. neurosurgery. orthopedics and pediatrics. St. Joseph Womens Medical Center. Houstons only full service womens hospital attached to a general acute care hospital. provides womens medical and surgical services. a family birthing center for moms and newborns. labor/delivery/recovery suites and a neonatal intensive care unit for premature or seriously ill newborns. The Level Ill Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is staffed by the Small Wonders Team of specially trained doctors. nurses and staff who provide the smallest patients with the best chance at life. Specialty services provided by St. Joseph include an advanced wound care center. behavioral medicine. blood conservation and management services. occupational medicine. sports medicine and rehabilitation. inpatient and outpatient diagnostic imaging. and Corporate Healthcare Connection. a partnership with Houstons corporate businesses that provides expedited care to their employees. A Houston institution for 120 years. St. Joseph Medical Center is also a major provider of psychiatric beds as it currently operates 102 of the 800 licensed beds in Houston. For an entire year. this legislation provides thousands with a practical. invaluable. and stable solution for deserving patients and doctors. These doctors deserve payment for the aid they render and we would be doing an intensely unjust service to them by not ensuring their repayment. Furthermore. we would be building a shaky platform for our constituents by not ensuring healthcare and medicine to the elderly. unfortunate. or those who so altruistically serve or served our country. Moreover. the bill is fully paid for according to the Congressional Budget Office. Furthermore. the CBO reports that it would serve to reduce the deficit by $2.8 billion over the next 10 years if the bill is passed. This is made possible by modifying the Affordable Care Act in the area of overpayments of tax credits to help individuals afford insurance. It is important to note that this bills provision will in fact protect income based tax credits. Specifically. this provision would change the way individuals pay back overpayments when they receive a larger tax credit than they were eligible for based on their actual income for the year. Also. this legislation is highly supported by AARP and the American Medical Association. Other extensions include: The Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA). which allows lowincome families to keep their Medicaid coverage as they move into employment and their income increases. Which is extremely important for those who are struggling to get on the their feet and make a way for themselves and their families. If we take away their assistance just as they are beginning to earn more money then we force those individuals to struggle to pay for more costly healthcare they cannot afford subsequently reducing their total income. Extension of the Qualifying Individual (Q1) Program which allows Medicaid to pay the Medicare premiums for those with incomes 120135 percent below the poverty line who are Medicare recipients. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 4994. which greatly assists our countrymen and helps those who are elderly. poverty stricken. and those brave individuals who serve and served in our armed forces and their family members. Further. however the major component to keeping our health care system working is to not reduce doctors payments from medicare by 25% as of January 1. 2011. This bill will fix that inequity and extend current medicare payments to doctors. Until December. 2012. This is good advice. I urge a "yea" vote.