Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 109 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 109 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 152 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2006 No. 135—Book II Senate NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without There being no objection, the Senate HEALTH REFORM ACT OF 2006 objection, it is so ordered. The clerk proceeded to consider the bill. will report the bill by title. Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask ENROLLMENT PERIODS unanimous consent that the Com- The legislative clerk read as follows: mittee on Health, Education, Labor Mr. GRASSLEY. I wish to engage my and Pensions be discharged from fur- A bill (H.R. 6164) to amend title IV of the colleague Senator BAUCUS in a colloquy ther consideration of H.R. 6164, and the Public Health Service Act to revise and ex- concerning the Tax Relief and Health Senate proceed to its immediate con- tend the authorities of the National Insti- Care Act of 2006. This bill contains a sideration. tutes of Health, and for other purposes. N O T I C E The Government Printing Office will publish corrections to the Congressional Record as a pilot program that has been authorized by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Corrections to the online Congressional Record will appear on the page on which the error occurred. The corrections will also be printed after the History of Bills and Resolutions sec- tion of the Congressional Record Index for print-only viewers of the Congressional Record. By order of the Joint Committee on Printing. TRENT LOTT, Chairman. N O T I C E If the 109th Congress, 2d Session, adjourns sine die on or before December 15, 2006, a final issue of the Congres- sional Record for the 109th Congress, 2d Session, will be published on Wednesday, December 27, 2006, in order to permit Members to revise and extend their remarks. 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VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:39 Feb 05, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 8633 E:\2006SENATE\S08DE6.PT2 S08DE6 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S11648 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 8, 2006 provision that would allow certain CUS, I would like to begin by thanking year. Instead, this is a temporary fix— Medicare Advantage plans to enroll in- you for your efforts to address the im- a downpayment toward addressing a dividuals at any time during the year. pending Children’s Health Insurance long-term problem of increasing de- I am concerned about this provision for Program, CHIP, shortfalls as part of mand for CHIP and not enough Federal two reasons: No. 1, the effect it will this end-of-the-year package. As many funds to go around. In an ideal world, have on the Medicare Advantage pro- as 17 States face the prospect of not Senator GRASSLEY and I would have gram, and No. 2, the process by which having enough Federal CHIP dollars to liked to put new money on the table to it was included in this package. cover the children currently enrolled in fully fund the shortfalls. However, we Mr. BAUCUS. I thank you for bring- their programs. Estimates by the Con- are operating under significant budget ing this provision up for discussion. I gressional Research Service and others constraints. This package represents have concerns as well. indicate that these shortfalls will total what we think we can do now, despite Mr. GRASSLEY. Under current law, approximately $920 million next year those constraints. We know we will beneficiaries can decide to stay in the and could put the health care coverage need to revisit this issue next year, ei- traditional fee-for-service program or of as many as 630,000 children in jeop- ther as part of the reauthorization of enroll in Medicare Advantage plans ardy. This compromise, struck between the CHIP program, or apart from that, during the annual open period, which you, Congressman BARTON, and Con- to address the remaining CHIP short- lasts from November 15 to December 31. gressman DINGELL, while not 100 per- falls so that no State has insufficient They can also make certain changes cent of what everybody wanted, takes a funds to provide health coverage for one time between January and March significant step toward addressing that children. I am heartened by Senator of the following year. I remember how problem. GRASSLEY’s strong commitment to the much time and effort we spent design- Mr. GRASSLEY. Thank you, Senator program that we will be able to work ing these enrollment policies when we ROCKEFELLER. We share an interest in together in this critical effort to shore worked together on the Medicare Mod- making sure that States have adequate up our Nation’s safety net for low-in- ernization Act of 2003. Wouldn’t you Federal funding to cover children come children. agree this provision is a significant through CHIP. No one wants to see Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Your comments policy change? children lose coverage, and we hope the are helpful because I think Members Mr. BAUCUS. That is an understate- provisions in this bill will help States are concerned that accepting this CHIP ment. This provision would allow some on a temporary basis until we have shortfalls proposal means they will be but not all types of Medicare Advan- time to work out a more permanent so- giving tacit approval to other provi- tage plans to enroll individuals lution to the CHIP financing structure. sions in the bill that they don’t really throughout the year. Only those plans Now I know that there are a lot of con- support—such as decreasing the CHIP that do not offer prescription drug cov- cerns about this package. And I want allotment from 3 years to 21⁄2 years, or erage will be given this special treat- to make it clear that Senator BAUCUS putting restrictions on how States can ment. This may sound like a small and I thought this was what we could use the redistributed money, for exam- change because it only affects a certain pass right now. We are hopeful that we ple. But what I hear both of you say- type of Medicare Advantage plan. But can pass this package here in the Sen- ing, I think, is that the CHIP provi- it creates an unlevel playing field be- ate and then get House agreement to- sions in this package are causing a lit- tween plans with no drug coverage and night or tomorrow so that we can fore- tle bit of pain for everyone, but that Medicare Advantage plans that have stall these shortfalls for the first part the benefits of getting something done decided to offer prescription drug cov- of the year. now far outweigh the downsides and erage. I want to make it clear, however, that nothing in this CHIP package Mr. GRASSLEY. That is exactly my that nothing in this package binds us binds us as we move to reauthorize the concern, too. I am also disappointed in for CHIP reauthorization next year. program next year. the process that led to the provision There is discomfort with the CHIP pro- Mr. GRASSLEY. I understand the being included in the final bill. We had visions on both sides of the aisle. But concerns of our colleagues. Certainly, an understanding that we would only Senators are willing to compromise in there are those who think we should include agreed-upon extensions and order to get something done for chil- have gone further in this proposal. must-do health items in the package dren before we go home. Therefore, we There are Senators who support going and not make major policy decisions should put aside our differences and in- from a 3-year allotment structure to a that had not gone through the regular dividual gripes in order to get some- 2-year allotment structure imme- process.