Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3961, and I feel so proud that the Ways and Means Committee was able to make a contribution with the other two committees, Education and Labor as well as Energy and Commerce, to
bring the John Dingell medical reform bill before this House and before this country.

What it does, really, is a new way to provide health care that is perfected in such a way that the patients are able to get medical care before they become patients, have preventative care, to provide for new doctors to be able to be made, and to get rid of a flawed physician payment system that, indeed, will strengthen the Medicare program.

At the end of the day when you hear the opposition, most all of their comments are going to be negative and saying ``no.'' Even when we make our case as to why we should fulfill our obligation to the doctors, they will make some decisions here, procedure decisions, which my friend Mr. Barton gets fed up with, but I assume he will be leading the race and saying that there should be a way to resubmit this bill to the committees to do something all over again.

If that is the case, I am certain that the American Medical Association as well as the older people and those people who need these doctors will not have to fear anything because their answer to this will be rejected, and once again we will be able to fulfill the promise that we made with the health bill by making certain they have doctors in order to support it.

At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to Chairman Pete Stark, who has made such an important contribution over the years to reform our health system, and I ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control that time.

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