Senate Proceeding on Apr 2nd, 2009 :: 1:44:50 to 1:47:55
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1:44:46 to 1:45:07( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: we have a responsibility to do that. i would yield the floor. the presiding officer: who yields time? mr. baucus: madam p the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. baucus: madam president, this amendment sounds good on the surface, but frankly, it's going to make health care reform more difficult.

1:44:50 to 1:47:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Max Baucus

1:45:08 to 1:45:28( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: it's difficult enough as it is, health care reform. this amendment will make if more difficult. some suggest that wealthier americans should be -- quote -- "means-tested." they should not get the same benefit unde benefit as others do. that is a policy that needs to be debated.

1:45:29 to 1:45:49( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: i personally think that's something we after all, as the senator from nevada said, president's budget to means-test part-d drug benefits. the point here is, do we want to help make health c

1:45:50 to 1:46:11( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: easier or more difficult? the effect of the amendment to reduce the finan committee's allocation in health care reform. that's going to make the finance committee's effort to get meaningful health care reform more difficult i suggest that we take up that issue -- that is, whether to means-test medicare or not the context ohealth care reform. because then the savings would

1:46:12 to 1:46:32( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: be we enacted -- would go towards health care reform. the effect of the senator's amendment is twofold. one, it is to enact -- suggest means testing medicare part-d which is true in the preside's budget. but the president does not want to use mns testing to reduce spending on health care. he does not want that.

1:46:33 to 1:46:54( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: so it would accomplish both purposes. that is, to ensure that we meaningfully address means testing but do it in does not hurt the efforts of health care reform. it makes mh more sense to rather take up the question of means testing in the concept of

1:46:55 to 1:47:16( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: health care reform where it is parts of many other components. where the pieces will fit together in a way that makes most sense. so i very respectfully say to my colleagues, this is not the ways place to consider means testing. it is in the context of health care reform. we can deal with means testing in the context reform.

1:47:17 to 1:47:37( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: this is a very legimate debate, means testing. there are lots of arguments for and against i take no f chairman of the finance committee, but i do believe that the senator's concept has merit. off all, it is in the president's budget. but just not here, which has the effect of taking it out of the finance committee's allocation, which makes it much more

1:47:38 to 1:47:58( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: difficult for the finance committee to do its work on health care reform. so i very respectfully urge senators to not support this amendment so that we can make it a little easier to take ouc -- take up health care reform in a way