Senate Proceeding on Jun 12th, 2008 :: 8:59:54 to 9:22:18
Total video length: 9 hours 29 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:65 Duration: 0:22:24 Discussion

Previous speech:

8:52:18 to 8:59:54( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: James Inhofe

8:59:32 to 8:59:54( Edit History Discussion )

James Inhofe: and competitiveness of the private marketplace would enable them to provide medicare beneficiaries with better coverage at less cost to the government. well, despite conditioningal congressional --

8:59:54 to 9:00:17( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: despite congressional intent, these plans cost the government money. many of them offer absolutely no data to suggest that they provide significant extra benefits or any better quality at all. since passage

8:59:54 to 9:22:18( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: George Voinovich

9:00:17 to 9:00:35( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: of the medicare modernization act in 2003, more and more private health insurers have entered the private medicare market and enrollment in medicare advantage plans has increased exponentially across the

9:00:35 to 9:00:51( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: country. i heard someone make the comment the other day that they were multiplying likeg rabbits particularly in rural america.~ well, the high enrollment growth especially for medicare advantage

9:00:51 to 9:01:08( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: care types known as private fee for service is alarming to me. these private plans are paid 20% more by the government on average than it would cost traditional medicare to cover those same beneficiaries.

9:01:08 to 9:01:21( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: so if they're multiplying like rapids -- rabbits out there, and we're paying them 20% more than what we would pay for traditional medicare fee for service, we're just wasting taxpayers' dollars.

9:01:21 to 9:01:37( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: private fee for service plans are not required to create networks for providers or report any quality measures. in terms of tracking whether they provide greater quality, we've had studies done, but

9:01:37 to 9:01:55( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: we can't track the measures to see if there is an improved quality. many seniors in my state have been duped into signing up for these plans through misleading or even fraudulent marketing practices

9:01:55 to 9:02:11( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: and once they do sign up, mr. president they often find that when they try to go to their regular doctor, their provider doesn't accept the plan. people have signed them up for something simply to get

9:02:11 to 9:02:28( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: a bonus for the number of people they can sign up for a plan. we had one -- one woman that came into our office and we heard about this case in arkansas of a sales agent going door-to-door wearing

9:02:28 to 9:02:45( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: medical ic scrubs and a stethoscope trying to enroll seniors in this plan. not knowing much abo the plan and certainly not being willing to work with these seniors to figure out what was best for

9:02:45 to 9:03:06( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: them. the baucus medicare bill includes a number ofbe improvements to the oversight of sales and marketing of medicare m advantage plans. much needed. and certainly a part of our responsibility including

9:03:06 to 9:03:17( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: banning certain practices like door-to-door sales, cold calling and free meals to seniors as an enticement to sign up. we saw the invitations sent out to seniors for a free meal i they come and

9:03:17 to 9:03:35( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: sign up for this package or seniors that simply get cold called in their homes who get kind of hassled and made to feel insignificant to the point where they just say, ok, whatever, come see me. it

9:03:35 to 9:03:48( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: also asks the h.h.s. secretary to place limits on free gifts and commissions to sales agents. that's completely reasonable. completely reasonable. we've heard of agents getting paid $10,000 for signing

9:03:48 to 9:03:58( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: up up to 150 beneficiaries. mr. president, that's not right. that's taking advantage of seniors who may not understand some of these programs and hod need more time and assistance in being able to

9:03:58 to 9:04:12( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: figure out what is right for them if, in fact, they need to change at all. s. 3101 also requires private fee-for-service plan in medicare advantage to develop networks of providers to ensure care for beneficiaries

9:04:12 to 9:04:27( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: and to measure and report on quality of care. plans would no longer be allowed to deem a hospital or a provider as part of the plan's network witht negotiating an actual contract for payment and care.

9:04:27 to 9:04:39( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: in arkansas, mr. president, we have about 11% of our total medicare population enrolled in medicare advantage. most of these beneficiaries have the private fee-for-service plan type and that's why it is

9:04:39 to 9:04:54( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: essentially critical to me that these plans work for our beneficiaries or if they don't, that we get our seniors back into regular medicare where they can have their needs met. let me tell you, mr. president,

9:04:54 to 9:05:06( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: we've worked hard. some of these seniors have been duped. they called my office, we sat down with them, we worked hard to get them back into traditional medicare, fee-for-service, where they were, and

9:05:06 to 9:05:19( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: they liked their service, it is unbelievably difficult getting through the red tape over at c.m.s. mr. president, we have heard a lot of rhetoric on the senate floor about choice, about fiscal responsibility

9:05:19 to 9:05:31( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: however, i would really like to ask what kind of choice is it, really, when the plan that you choose doesn't meet your need and you choose a plan because you have been harassed by people who were either

9:05:31 to 9:05:39( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: trying to make an extra extra $10 or who are -- $10,000 or who are out there trying to sign up as many people as they possibly can. as for fiscal responsibility, we already know that the medicare

9:05:39 to 9:05:53( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: hospital insurance trust fund is estimated to be insolvent by the year 2019. when american taxpayers are subsidized priva companies profits rather than the needs of our seniors, we are simply exacerbating

9:05:53 to 9:06:06( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: that problem. we are adding to the debt of our children and our grandchildren and i, for one, would argue that this is not fiscally responsible. i hope -- i hope that we can move beyond the rhetoric,

9:06:06 to 9:06:19( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: mr. president. i hope that we can have productive, bipartisan negotiations over the next days and weeks and make these many, many needed improvements to our medicare program a reality. just simply saying no is not

9:06:19 to 9:06:36( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: good enough. it's hard to say yes sometimes. but the fact is the american people need us to be working right now. they need us to be focused in paying attentionn the issues that they are faced with.

9:06:36 to 9:06:49( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: yes, the price of gas is out of control. yes, their food prices are going up. yes, their health care costs are going up. an their access is dwindling. the number of patients -- medicare patients

9:06:49 to 9:07:03( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: that i know in my state who can no longer find doctors because doctors are no longer taking new medicare patients. we actually experienced that in my own family when our family -- lifetime family physician

9:07:03 to 9:07:12( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: who lived across the street passed away. my dad hit medicare age and all of a sudden we didn't have a medicare, we didn't have a physician. these are issues that people in our -- in our states

9:07:12 to 9:07:28( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: are facing every single day. the least we can do is bring forward measures that will show the people that we are working towards figuring out some of these issues and some of these concerns that are hitting

9:07:28 to 9:07:49( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: them square in the face. now, as i said before, i stop and pump my own gas and i do the grocery shopping in my house, and i've got to say, mr. president, i see what they're up against. and i think

9:07:49 to 9:08:02( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: every one of us needs to take the time to figure out whatt is our constituents are facing and redouble our efforts to work together to find the solutions that will really make the impact on this great

9:08:02 to 9:08:16( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: country and more importantly its greatest asset and that's the families, the working families of this great country. thank you, mr. president, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer:

9:08:16 to 9:08:40( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: mr. president, i want to pay tribute today to a very special person. one of our fallen heroes, major scott haggardy. but i feel a very personal relationship with

9:08:40 to 9:08:57( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: this man. as we all do, when we hear of a -- of a tragic loss, we research and see what he was doing, where he was. and it's almost impossible to conceive the idea that maybe i didn't even meet him

9:08:57 to 9:09:10( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: personally because in looking at where he was in afghanistan and when he was there, where he was in iraq and when he was there, i was there at the same time. and ironically even in northern uganda.

9:09:10 to 9:09:22( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: not many people know where uganda is, but in a minute i will share what is going on there and what scott haggardy was doing. scott died on june 30, 2008. he gave his full measure when an improvised

9:09:22 to 9:09:37( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: explosive device, i.e.d., detonated while he was -- while he was on patrol in afghanistan. he was assigned to the 501st civil affairs battalion. scott gad waited from stillwater high school in 1984,

9:09:37 to 9:09:52( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: as a senior in high school he join the u.s. army at the rank of specialist. i identify with that, because i did the same thing. he earned a bachelors degree in political science an prelaw from

9:09:52 to 9:10:06( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: oklahoma state university in 1993. he received his commission through the rotc program and completed the field artillery officer basic course at fort sill in oklahoma. after serving on active duty, he

9:10:06 to 9:10:17( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: continued his service in the army reserve. he spent 11 years with the 291st regiment in oklahoma before transferring to the united states army civil affairs and psychological operations command,

9:10:17 to 9:10:30( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: that's an airborne command in 2004. scott married his wife daphne 12 years ago they have two sons, jonathan 10 years old and samuel, 21 months old. scott loved his family and enjoyed being a father

9:10:30 to 9:10:44( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: and spent his life helping others to gain the freedoms an same joys that he had. scott was deployed for a 12-month tour in south korea and served in iraq from october of 2004 to august of 2005. as a

9:10:44 to 9:10:58( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: civil affairs officer, he worked with iraqis and iraqi civilian authorities in helping them to rebuild their government an their country. prior to his tour in afghanistan, scott spent a tour in

9:10:58 to 9:11:13( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: africa to help promote stability and prevent conflict in that region. his mission included repairing wells in northern uganda where he and fellow soldiers restored more than 06 wells and provided 25,000

9:11:13 to 9:11:29( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: local -- 250,000 residents with water. he provided with basic medical care for children. this is the part that i find they interesting and coincidental because scott was involved in northern uganda.

9:11:29 to 9:11:45( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: in northern uganda there are some things going on not many people are going on, there is something called the lords resistance army, l.r.a., one individual, joseph coney. joseph coney has for 30 years

9:11:45 to 9:11:59( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: now mutilated and tortured little kids. the recruited them to be in the army as boy soldiers, 12, 13, 14 years old. if they refuse to do it, they make this individual go back and murder their own

9:11:59 to 9:12:23( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: families, i have been in the same villages where scott was. scott didn't have to do this. this is something beyond the call of duty. something that is heavy lifting and i saw a picture of him in a

9:12:23 to 9:12:42( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: -- in an orphanage in northern uganda. i have been to that same orphanage and there are not many troops who have done what scott has done. scott wrote, i have always dreamed of being a soldier

9:12:42 to 9:12:57( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: even as a little boy, so i know i'm doing the job that was destined for me. he deployed to afghanistan shortly after being assigned to the 451 civilian affairs battalion in february. his family said

9:12:57 to 9:13:14( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: that scott was very proud of his career in the army and we know that he died doing what he loved, serving his country. scott received numerous military honors, including two meritorus medals, two national

9:13:14 to 9:13:26( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: defense service medals, global war on terror, expeditionary an service medals and korean defense service medal. i'm saddened by the loss of my fellow oklahoman. i'm proud of his service, integrity and

9:13:26 to 9:13:41( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: service to our country. i read through some of the comments that were in the guest book and i know the occupier of the chair has done the same thing when deaths occur to find out what people think

9:13:41 to 9:13:53( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: of their loved ones. one said that i had the honor of serving with major haggerty in afghanistan. he was a father figure to me. i have great respect for him. he is truly my hero and i will -- he will

9:13:53 to 9:14:06( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: be missed more than he can know. i know he is looking down now and watching over us as we continue our mission. we love you, major haggerty, and will never forget you. the hiland pk family are mourning

9:14:06 to 9:14:22( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the loss of a wonderful parent at our school. scott was not only a devoted soldier, but devoted husband and father. scott's presence will be missed at home and abroad. thank you, scott. we're rowed

9:14:22 to 9:14:36( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: of you. high -- proud of you. another one. growing up with scott, i was impress bid his quiet strength. i always knew there would be great things in his future as we stumbled toward adult hood.

9:14:36 to 9:14:47( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: thank you for the sacrifice you have made for my family. lastly, a comment left by his team that he worked with in africa. sincere condolences to the family of scott haggerty, from the defense team

9:14:47 to 9:15:01( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: in northern uganda. northern uganda, that's where he made an impression on the lives of hundreds and thousands of little kids who either had gone through the tort united and all of these -- these problems

9:15:01 to 9:15:14( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: and he was willing to go up and work with them. we only had an e-mail contact with him giving updates and how things were going here as he was still interested, he was the first team leader here and broke

9:15:14 to 9:15:26( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: a lot of ground. i'm sure he stands guard over us now. so today i -- as his united states senator pay tribute to scott. a man who exemplified integrity and courage and gave his life as he sacrificed

9:15:26 to 9:15:38( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: for his family and our nation. i have to say this in the case of scott. tht isn't good-bye. so it's a job kelwell done. we love you and we'll see you later. mr. president, i yield the floor.~ the

9:15:38 to 9:15:50( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. voinovich: mr. president, i'd like to comment on the comments of the senator from oklahoma. i think that so often we forget the sacrifice that our american

9:15:50 to 9:16:05( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: people have made so that we could bring some stability to afghanistan and to iraq. two weeks ago i attended a service actually on the front steps of the ohio capital where we commemorated the lives

9:16:05 to 9:16:14( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: of 23 individuals from the lima company that was extraordinarily hit in iraq, and tears rolled out of my eyes and everyone else who was there. there was a mother of a man by the name of hoffman talked

9:16:14 to 9:16:25( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: about her son and the sacrifice that he made and why he made that sacrifice. i think that too many americans aren't aware of the fact that we've lost over 4,000 people in iraq and that 30,000 of them

9:16:25 to 9:16:38( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: have returned and half of them are going to be disabled, and i think it underscores that we need to be very responsible in our future activity there in iraq so that the parents of those young men and

9:16:38 to 9:16:51( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: women don't feel that their lives were in vain. and i'm sure, mr. president, you have mixed emotions, as i have, about just where we should be going there. and i heard jim bobbins -- jim was at

9:16:51 to 9:17:08( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the state department for many years, and he was talking about our next moves in iraq and how difficult it is because, on the one hand, we know that we have got to move our troops out of there for the

9:17:08 to 9:17:29( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: benefit of just our volunteer army because of the deployments, they're stretched d they're not getting the reups that they need need. and, at the same time, we want to make sure that we don't move too fast

9:17:29 to 9:17:41( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: so that we end up with a civil war there. so it's a dilemma, but the people that get lost in all of it are the folks that have lost their loved ones. and it grieves me that we've spent almost $650

9:17:41 to 9:17:57( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: billion on that war, and we've never asked the american people to participate. the only ones that have participate ed are the families whose sonses and daughters have come back in -- whose sons and daughters

9:17:57 to 9:18:14( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: have come back in body bags and that loss will be with them for the rest of their lives livesment and so i think all of us ought to think about those families and pray for them and pray that those

9:18:14 to 9:18:31( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: of us in responsible positions will be en enlightened by the holy spirit to make the right decisions for them, for those families, and for our country and for the world. mr. president, i guess we're

9:18:31 to 9:18:46( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: in morning business? is that correct? the presiding officer: we are on the motion to proceed. mr. voinovich: can i ask unanimous consent, then, that i be allowed to speak as if in morning business?

9:18:46 to 9:19:01( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the presiding officer: without objection. mr. voinovich: thank you. mr. president, i rise today to comment on the need for fiscal responsibility and to call attention to our ever-increasing national debt. building

9:19:01 to 9:19:11( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: on a speech i gave in march, i hope to regularly provide my colleagues and the american people with updates on our growing national debt. i recently voted against the budget bill that would have a allowed

9:19:11 to 9:19:27( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the national debt to increase to $11.8 trillion over the next couple of years. we need to be reminded of the fiscal realities in which we find ourselves. we cannot continue to live in the united states

9:19:27 to 9:19:43( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: of deny ial. behind me is a chart that shows the accumulate ed national debt to date. as of 2007, the national debt stood at almost $9 trillion, and tasted a at $9.4 trillion, with each american owing some $31,000

9:19:43 to 9:19:54( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: $31,000. that's every man, woman, or child in the country owes $31 $31,000, and the deficit for 200 2008 will be added to that number, including an average $27 $273 billion a year in interest payments

9:19:54 to 9:20:06( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: on that debt. if interest rates increase, the interest payments could be much more, eating up revenues that could be used for other purposes purposes. in january, the congressional budget office projected

9:20:06 to 9:20:19( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: a $219 billion deficit for 2008, but they didn't include the $152 billion economic stimulus package that president bush later signed into law in february. with the addition of the economic stimulus

9:20:19 to 9:20:31( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: bill and other recent changes in the baseline, c.b.o.'s updated deficit projection for 2008 is $357 billion. the congressional budget office numbers also do not include borrowing from the social security

9:20:31 to 9:20:40( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: trust fund and other trust funds to the tune of almost $200 billion. we only talk about the public debt, but we don't talk about the debt -- the money that we're borrowing from our own government.

9:20:40 to 9:20:51( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: in addition to all this, soon we're going to be considering a supplemental appropriations bill to the tune of $193 billion, which again will just be added to the national debt. so if we're really honest with

9:20:51 to 9:21:02( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the american people, the project projected real debt for 2008 is $746 billion -- $746 billion. that's more than three times the $219 billion deficit projected at the start of 2008. now, to get an idea

9:21:02 to 9:21:12( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: of how much that is, $746 billion is more than we spent on the war on terror, including iraq and afghanistan and elsewhere during the last five years. and we borrowed every penny of it. the treasury

9:21:12 to 9:21:24( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: department in april reported that the deficit through the first six months of the budget year totaled $311.4 billion, up 20% from the same period a year ago. that was the largest deficit for the

9:21:24 to 9:21:34( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: first half of a budget year on record, surpassing the old six-month mark of $302 billion that was set back in 2006. the federal deficit through the first half of fiscal year 2508 is an all-time high,

9:21:34 to 9:21:42( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: under underscoring the pressure the budget is coming under as over overall our economy slumps, spending is higher, tax rove revenues are lower. but it only describes the difference between revenues

9:21:42 to 9:21:53( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: and outlays. that's not really what's threatening our future. it's the cumulative ongoing increase in our national debt that really matters. but too many people in washington pretend this debt doesn't

9:21:53 to 9:22:07( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: even exist. when was the last time that you heard the president of the united states talk about the national debt? i can't remember. i can't remember. and he happens to be a republican, and one of

9:22:07 to 9:22:18( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the reasons i'm a republican is that i've always believed in balancing budgets and paying down debt. but we haven't even talked about it. it's to longer there. it's like it's evaporate ed. and when have

9:22:18 to 9:22:33( Edit History Discussion )

Ken Salazar: we heard the presidential candidates talk about the national debt and what they're going to be going to it? recent "usa today" reported that the government's long-term obligations grew by $2.5 trillion