Rep. Pascrell speaks on MEDICARE PHYSICIAN PAYMENT REFORM ACT OF 2009 - November 19, 2009

Mr. PASCRELL. First thing we have to get straight here is that the past administration masked the costs of our one-sided tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, unpaid for; masked the costs of two wars, never in the base budget; masked the costs of taking care of our returning brave soldiers. You have been the masters of masks. And now you're advising Democrats? Case closed. Mr. Speaker, today we have the opportunity to vote on legislation for which many of us here have hoped for years, a permanent solution to the flawed Medicare physician payment formula. I implore my colleagues to set aside partisan bickering. Each year for the past 7 years, both Republican Congresses and Democratic Congresses have stepped in to preserve seniors' access to care by preventing steep cuts to physician payments. Each year. The sustainable solution before us today deserves bipartisan support. If we're truly serious about enacting comprehensive health reform then we will pass this vital legislation. Providing a realistic, long-term solution that embraces a legitimate effort to rein in spending while recognizing-- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. STARK. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds. Mr. PASCRELL. To rein in spending while recognizing the value of primary care is a necessary foundation to true reform. Without it, it's like building our house on a foundation of sand that not only jeopardizes access to care for 45 million seniors and individuals with disabilities but also has important consequences for our entire physician workforce.

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