Medicare, Medicaid, and Schip Extension Act of 2007

MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND SCHIP EXTENSION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - December 19, 2007)

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Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for S. 2499, the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act. This bill includes a number of provisions that are essential to the continued delivery of vital healthcare programs to our Nation's most vulnerable citizens.

This measure offers much-needed relief to physicians that serve our Medicare population by providing a 6-month suspension of the 10-percent cut in Medicare payments scheduled to occur on January 1, providing instead a modest increase of 0.5 percent. It also extends important incentive payment programs that provide a 5-percent bonus to physicians serving areas with a shortage of doctors, while ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries have continued access to therapy services through June 30, 2008.

Also included in this bill is a vital extension for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through March 31, 2009. Currently, 24,900 Rhode Islanders are enrolled in

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the SCHIP portion of Rhode Island's model RITE Care program. As a proud Representative of Rhode Island and a longtime supporter of SCHIP, I cannot stress enough how important this program is to the health and well-being of our children, expectant mothers and parents alike. Although this was not the outcome that I and many of my colleagues originally envisioned for SCHIP, this extension is crucial for States like Rhode Island that are facing tremendous budgetary shortfalls.

Madam Speaker, access to quality, affordable healthcare is integral to the prosperity of every American. While I am pleased that this Congress was able to reach a compromise to provide temporary relief for our country's most important safety net programs, I believe that we have the potential to do so much more. Health care providers that have pledged to continue serving the aging, disabled, and low-income citizens deserve more than stopgap measures and temporary relief. This Congress has an obligation to take meaningful action to reform and stabilize the Medicare provider payment system, as well as to ensure the continued strength and success of our Medicaid and SCHIP programs. To that end, I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner with my colleagues in an effort to guarantee that these issues are properly addressed in this and future Congresses.

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