Congressional Record—Senate S6162
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S6162 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 4, 1995 desk No. 39, Mr. President, and it lists I yield the floor and suggest the ab- What many of us are saying now is, if all of the Senators who have occupied sence of a quorum. we are going to continue to make this particular desk. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The progress, then clearly we have to go be- I just want to name a few of these. clerk will call the roll. yond what the reconciliation package Some of these names may stand out. The legislative clerk proceeded to did with respect to strengthening Medi- John Bankhead from Alabama occupied call the roll. care. this particular desk. John Bankhead Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask What we said last year is that we lived over on 19th Street, right off of unanimous consent that the order for have to pass meaningful health care re- Dupont Circle. John Bankhead was the the quorum call be rescinded. form if we are to reduce further the father of Tallulah Bankhead. Tallulah The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without rate of Medicare growth, without hurt- Bankhead was one of the grand ac- objection, it is so ordered. ing beneficiaries and shifting costs tresses during that period of time, and f onto families and businesses. they lived on 19th Street, where I used MEDICARE INSOLVENCY to live. That is what we attempted to do last Now, also, Patrick McCarran of Ne- Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I was year. The Senator from Utah indicated vada occupied this particular desk, No. not in the Chamber an hour ago when that the President last year argued we 39. He was the author, I assume, of the the distinguished Senator from Utah, needed $118 billion in additional Medi- McCarran-Ferguson Act, which many my colleague, Senator BENNETT, com- care cuts. Well, the President proposed people will recognize. mented on remarks that I made earlier these reductions in the rate of growth Theodore Francis Green, of Rhode Is- this morning. He is a person for whom of Medicare in the context of a health land, occupied desk No. 39. Theodore I have immense respect and who I be- reform proposal that assured costs Francis Green may have been—I do not lieve is a great student of many of the would not be shifted onto the private know, that record may have been bro- issues we address on the floor. But he sector. Clearly we get cost shifting to ken—but at one time he was the oldest and I have a very fundamental dif- the private sector when we cut Medi- Member to ever serve in the Senate. ference of opinion with regard to Medi- care without addressing private sector That may have been surpassed. I need care, and I wish to respond briefly to health care cost problems. That is why to check and correct it. But he was the comments that he made today on that so many of us argued for so long—and, chairman of the Foreign Relations issue. I invite his reaction if he is with- unfortunately, with so little success— in the sound of my voice. Committee immediately preceding the last year that if we are ever going to He said in his remarks the Medicare chairmanship of Senator J. William solve Medicare’s problems, we have to trustees’ report predicting insolvency Fulbright of the State of Arkansas. address our entire health care system’s Another very illustrious individual only became available in April 1995; that it was not available 2 years ago problems. Unfortunately, Republicans who has occupied desk 39 is Estes opposed that effort last year. Kefauver, from Tennessee, known for when the President’s deficit reduction his coonskin cap and all his grand cam- package was debated. So, Mr. President, my point in ad- paigning as he ran for President and as The fact is that the Medicare trust- dressing this issue is to clarify again he ran for Vice President. He really ees’ report is available every year for what I believe to be the real issue. The was a major force in the 1950’s in the all Members of Congress to see, and real issue is that we have to make Democratic Party and in American pol- every year the report has been pre- meaningful reforms to Medicare with- itics. dicting insolvency of the Medicare out adversely affecting the bene- Another great Senator who has occu- trust fund, sometime between 1999 and ficiaries and without passing whatever pied desk No. 39 is Henry M. ‘‘Scoop’’ the year 2003. So there should be no savings we generate on to the wealthi- Jackson, of course from Washington surprise with regard to the predictions est among us in the form of another State, who passed away just a few of this year’s trustees’ report. I think tax cut. Real reform is not cutting ben- years ago. He truly was one of the gi- the question is, how we will generate efits to the elderly or simply shifting ants of the Senate. He occupied desk Medicare savings over the course of the more costs onto them. Real reform 39. next year, and how will we use those must ensure more efficient functioning Frank J. Lausche, from the State of savings. and administration of the program. There are some who have advocated Ohio, occupied this desk, desk No. 39. The last issue that I wish to raise For some of you who may not know, providing a significant tax cut for the wealthy. I think it is fair to say that with regard to Medicare has to do with Frank J. Lausche, to the best of my the chart the distinguished Senator recollection, served more terms as when you cut Medicare to the extent that some have proposed it be cut, and from Utah used. My chart is not nearly Governor than any other Governor as fancy because we didn’t have time to elected in the history of America. I then you propose a similar decrease in taxes for the very wealthiest among us, make such an elegant chart, but I think he was Governor of his State think it illustrates my point. for—it seems like well over a decade one would have to conclude that the and perhaps even close to 2 decades, in cuts in Medicare will be used to pay for The Senator from Utah indicated the State of Ohio. the tax cut for the wealthy. That was that Medicare costs were going up fast- Mr. President, some of this may not the main point I was making. er than costs in the private sector. seem too important to a lot of people, Regardless of whether people are Well, this is only true if you look at but there may be some students around willing to make that association, as overall costs. But if you look at a more who someday would want to know valid as I believe it is, I think it is very meaningful statistic, per capita health more about the Senate Chamber and clear everyone recognizes that, indeed, care costs, as this chart indicates—on a about the desks in the Chamber. the Medicare trust fund is in serious per enrollee basis, from 1976 to 1984, As Senator ROCKEFELLER and Sen- trouble. In fact, the President’s 1993 Medicare costs rose only slightly faster ator COATS and myself take our con- deficit reduction package addressed than private sector costs, 14.2 percent, stituents through the Capitol and this issue through proposals designed versus 14 percent for the private sector. sometimes sit with them in the gal- to delay insolvency for several more leries, sometimes people ask us about years. Before the President’s deficit re- But look what has happened from the the aisle, where do the Republicans sit duction package was enacted, the years 1984 to 1993. In that timeframe, and where do the Democrats sit? And trustees’ report indicated the trust 1984 to 1993, about 10 years, the actual so we thought it might be a good time fund would be insolvent by 1999. As a increase in private sector per enrollee costs was 9.8 percent. The increase in to put a little statement in the RECORD result of the enactment of the 1993 rec- giving a little, brief history about this onciliation package, which all Demo- Medicare per enrollee costs was 7.7 per- Chamber and some of the desks that crats supported and every Republican cent. make up this wonderful U.S. Senate opposed, we have been able to extend These are numbers given to us from Chamber. the viability of the trust fund for 3 HCFA, and I think they make the point Mr. President, I see no other Senator more years, from the year 1999 to the I was trying to make again this morn- seeking recognition. year 2002. So we have made progress. ing. On a per enrollee basis, there is no VerDate Aug 31 2005 04:56 May 28, 2008 Jkt 041999 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 J:\ODA15\1995_F~1\S04MY5.REC S04MY5 mmaher on MIKETEMP with SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS May 4, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6163 doubt that Medicare costs over the last When OPM claimed to have cleaned say for that kind of life. Senator 10 years have not grown as quickly as up its act and made Government jobs Mitchell told me so just the other day. they have in the private sector. But accessible to all applicants, Senator Senator PRYOR’s love for the Senate that, in part, is because we are con- PRYOR sent his office interns down to is exceeded only by his love for his tinuing to do what I just said we do not that agency to apply for jobs.