Gowdy Calls on President to Follow Law, Propose Medicare Reform

Press Release

Gowdy Calls on President to Follow Law, Propose Medicare Reform
Washington -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: July 12, 2011

CONTACT: Robert Hughes

PHONE: 202-225-6030

Today, Representative Trey Gowdy (SC-04) chaired a hearing of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives entitled "Fulfilling a Legal Duty: Triggering a Medicare Plan from the Administration."

As part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Congress enacted a "trigger provision" that requires the President to submit Medicare reform legislation to Congress should a "Medicare funding warning" be included in consecutive annual reports of the Medicare Trustees. This warning has been included in every report since 2006, but the current administration has yet to respond to the trigger mechanism.

In his opening statement, Representative Gowdy said the following:

"Making speeches isn't hard. Saying you have a plan when you don't isn't hard. What is hard is leading. What is hard is making tough decisions. But that is what is required of leaders, in this instance statutorily.

"Without substantive reform, Medicare will be insolvent in a decade. Costs are skyrocketing, and benefits are threatened by the unsustainable status quo. Something has to be done, and simply talking about the problems will no longer suffice.

"Abdicating this duty might be a good political strategy -- but it is not a good strategy for America.

"We can hope for the leadership to resolve this difficult issue. That we can hope for. We should never be forced to hope for compliance with the law."

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