Senate Proceeding on Oct 7th, 2009 :: 7:13:50 to 7:34:20
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7:13:34 to 7:13:54( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: and i recognize that this can come back. but at this time, for the good of our country, to restore the heritage of our country, madam the presiding officer: objection is heard. the senator from mon mr. baucus: madam president,k[ i regret that the senator from oklahoma feels constrained to object. i will continue to work to see

7:13:50 to 7:34:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Max Baucus

7:13:55 to 7:14:16( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: that medicareeneficiaries are not unfairly harmed. i must also say that this is not for the ross perots of the world. there are many people who are very poor who will be harmed in if this -- if this legislation is not passed. i must also say that this bill is paid for.

7:14:17 to 7:14:38( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: -- paid for despite implications to the contrary. it's paid for with funds already set aside earlier date the medicare contingency fund, a fund that was set upor just such purposes. despite the implications about the future children, grandchildren, the fact is this is already paid for wit funds previously set aside.

7:14:39 to 7:14:59( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: mr. president president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. baucus: madam president, i ask consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. baucus: madam president, unless the senate acts soon, millions of seniors and disabled individuals will face sharply higher premium taxes.

7:15:00 to 7:15:25( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: oops, i have to get my right statement here. i just said that. okay. mr. baucus: madam president? senator from montana.

7:15:28 to 7:15:48( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: mr. baucus: madam president, hippocrates once said a wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings. every day we see the real world consequences for americans who have been deprived of that blessing. a harvard year in america, lack of health

7:15:49 to 7:16:09( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: coverage leads to 45,000 deaths. people without health insurance have a 40% higher risk of death than those with private health insurance. no one should die because they cannot afford health care. every 30 seconds, another american files for bankruptcy after a serious health problem. every 30 seconds. every year, about 1.5 million

7:16:10 to 7:16:30( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: families lose their homes to foreclosure. why? because of unaffordable medical co no one should go bankrupt because they get sick. and a kaiser family foundation survey found that health care coverage for the average family

7:16:31 to 7:16:51( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: now cts more than $13,000 a year. if current trends continue, by 2019, just 10 years from now, the average family plan will cost more than $30,000 per year. no one should have to live in fear of financial ruin from crushing insurance premiums. americans are looking for commonsense solutions to these problems. americans want a balanced plan

7:16:52 to 7:17:12( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: that takes the best ideas from both sides. an americans want their leaders to work together to craft a health care package that would get the 60 votes that it needs to pass. and now the congressional budget office has just given us their analysis of the legislation that we put together in the finance committee. it shows that our bill real

7:17:13 to 7:17:33( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: estate dueses t $81 billion over 10 years. that is a reduction in the federal deficit over 10 years of $81 billion. the c.b.o. also says that the legislation out of the finance committee continues to reduce the deficit in the out years that is, in the years after ten years, the second 10 the second ten years. and the legislation increases

7:17:34 to 7:17:54( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: coverage from 83% to 94%. 94% of americans with health insurance. for two years now, that is exactly what we have been doing in the finance committee, working to get that result. over the last two years, the finance committee has held 20 years on health care reform. last june, we h summit at the library of congress. the committee held three

7:17:55 to 7:18:19( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: roundtable discussions with experts on each side of the area, especially on each of the three major we held roundtables o health care is delivered, on coverage -- that is, on insurance coverage, and on how to pay for health care. in connection with each roundtable -- that is, we had experts around the table.

7:18:20 to 7:18:41( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: we all asked lots of questions. experts were chosen -- were not chosen for a certain point of view, but just to get the facts -- the committee put out a detailed option paper after those roundtables. we then held three walkthroughs to hash out those options. the walkthrough, what might make some sense based upon those roundtables. six members of the committee -- that is, three

7:18:42 to 7:19:02( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: republicans and three democrats -- then had follow-up meetings. they held 31 meetings to try to come to a consensus, 31 meetings. we held exhaustive meetings and we met for more than 61 hours. we wept the extra mile. i might say, madam president, the fly around the wall is to watch the six meet, three republicans and three democrats. i think

7:19:03 to 7:19:25( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: proud that this was hard work, it was not ideologically driven, it was based on the facts, asked questions of experts of actuaries who are objective of the congressional budget office and joint committee on tax, a very, very solid effort to try to find out how the various parts will be put together in a balanced and fair way. so i can say the finance committee has held the most open

7:19:26 to 7:19:46( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: and exhaustive consideration this health care proposal. i put out the starting point and posted it on the web september 16. that was nearly a week before we started our markups. a full week notice before we started our markup. at first for the committee, we posted every amendment, all 564 of them on the web. never done that before.

7:19:47 to 7:20:08( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: all posted. all available to the world. the committee has held a thorough markup. i know that the present of the when the committee reconvenes to report the bill, the committee will have met for eight days. many of those have been long days, often running past 10:00 at night. in fact, last thursday, we worked until 2:00 in the morning.

7:20:09 to 7:20:29( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: it has been more than 22 years since the finance committee met for eight days on a single bill. in the committee's consideration, senators offered and the committee considered about 135 amendments. the committee conducted 79 roll call votes, and the committee adopted 41 amendments.

7:20:30 to 7:20:50( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: the result is a baland, commonsense plan that takes the best ideas from both sides. it is a plan that essentially implements president obama's vision to improve america's health care. and it is a plan designed to get the 60 votes that it needs to pass. we have just received from the

7:20:51 to 7:21:11( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: congressional budget office the numbers that we need to have to proceed to the next steps. the c.b.o. says tt we reduce the deficit by $81 billion in the first legislation that will be reported out of the committee soon, reduce the deficit further the next ten years, and it increases coverage to 94%.

7:21:12 to 7:21:34( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: i am confident that after senators have had an opportunity to review c.b.o.'s numbers, the finance committee will report the bill. then we on the finance committee expect to work together with the help committee to meld our two bills together. our colleagues in the "help" committee have done some wonderful things, especially in

7:21:35 to 7:21:55( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: the area of prevention, work for us, equality. we look forward to working to bring together the best of both bills. then the majority leader will offer that combined bill as an amendment on the floor. i expect that we will have a full and vigorous deb the senate. i'm proud of our work. all americans should have access to affordable quality health care coverage.

7:21:56 to 7:22:16( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: our bill would raise the share of americans with insurance coverage from about 83% currently to 94%. and our bill would deliver coverage to millions insurance exchanges and to millions more through medicaid. that's the finance committee bill i'm discussing now. continuing, our bill would dramatically increase prevention and wellness.

7:22:17 to 7:22:37( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: it would begin shifting health care delivery to the quality of care provided. t the quantity of services rendered, but the quality of care provided. it's so this is this is game changing. when we look back several years from now, we're going to see that this is probably one of the more important items of this legislation, because it will

7:22:38 to 7:22:58( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: begin focus where it should be on quality and teamwork and on the patient more than today where it is focused a little more on quantity and the fee-for-service system. this is clearly the major most important part, i think, when we look back at this bill five, six, eight, ten years from now.

7:22:59 to 7:23:19( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: the bill also will lower prescription d dramatically for seniors. no small point. our bill would reform the insurance market. it would protect those with pre-existing conditions. it would prevent insurance companies from discriminating and capping coverage. and it would require insurance companies to renew policies as long as

7:23:20 to 7:23:41( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: premiums. no longer would insurance companies be able to drop coverage when people get sick. these reformers -- these reforms would give americans real savings. under the finance committee bill, everyone making less than than -- would receive health coverage through medicaid.

7:23:42 to 7:24:02( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: i know a credits to low a middle-income families to bring private insurance coverage. bill would deliver tax cuts for those whom it affects. overall, taxes would go down for the people affected by this bill. these make insurance more affordable. now, some have made some pretty

7:24:03 to 7:24:23( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: outrageous claims about our bill. some folks, frankly, have said some whoppers. let me take a few moments t bust some of those myths. myth number one: some say our bill cuts benefs for seniors. that's false. nobody cares more about maintaing medicare than i do. medicare benefits will not

7:24:24 to 7:24:44( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: reduce under our seniors will get the same level of benefits that they receive in fact, seniors have a lot to gain from health care reform like lower prescription drug costs and more free preventative care like mammograms and colonoscopies. plus our bill takes the long view to help preserve the of the medicar

7:24:45 to 7:25:05( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: our bill puts the medicare program on sounder financial footing. our bill would move from a system that pays for volume to one that pays for value. it would improve medicare solvency by reforming the way medicare delivers health care. don't just take my word for it. don't just take president obama's word for it.

7:25:06 to 7:25:28( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: go to the aarp website and see what they say. aarp is probably one of the greatest advocates for seniors, and this is what au pair says -- i quote -- "mythhealth care reform will hurt fact, none of the health care reform proposals being considered by congress would

7:25:29 to 7:25:50( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: medicare benefits or increase your out of pocket costs for medicare services." that's the conclusion of au pair in their letters to seniors. myth number two: some say our bill would lead to rationing because we encourage comparative research. that, too, is false.

7:25:51 to 7:26:11( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: the institute of medicine -- medpac, that's the nonpartisan group that advises congress on medicare payments and former c.m.s. administrators, have all recommended that congress invest in research works and what doesn't work in medicine. groups like the american medical association, the american health association support this idea.

7:26:12 to 7:26:33( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: our bill would set up a nonprofit institute to provide for this comparative effectiveness research. the unbiased information that doctors and patients can use to ke better health care decisions. comparative effectiveness research is about giving doctors and patients the best information available on what works so that they can decide --

7:26:34 to 7:26:54( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: the doctors can dec consultati as to what procedure, what drug makes most sense and what doesn't. if one treatment works far better than another, then doctors and patients have a right to know. that's what our bill tries to do. it tries to foster the kind of commonsense research that gets better information into the hands of doctors and patients.

7:26:55 to 7:27:15( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: nothing in our bill would ration care, nothing. the new institute could not make coverage decisions or issue medical guidelines. our bill would prevent the h.s. secretary from using the research to ration care in any way. the secretary could never use the evidence to discriminate against individuals based on age, disability, terminal

7:27:16 to 7:27:36( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: illness, or their preferences between length of life and quality of life. calling this rationing only supports a delivery system that is pro-waste and anti-patient education. that's what opponents are going to end up doing. that's the effect of it. that's not the people deserve. they deserve the information

7:27:37 to 7:27:57( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: that comparative effectiveness research produces to help tm make informed health care decisions. myth number three: some say that our bill will cause premiums to go up. that, too, is false. there are a lot of things in our bill that would cause premiums to go down.

7:27:58 to 7:28:18( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: our bill would waste, and abuse in the health care system. that's going to help. our bill would spread insurance risk over a much broader population, including younger, healthier people. that will clearly help. our bill will help to lame the cost of uncompensated care results in more than $1,000 in additional premium costs each

7:28:19 to 7:28:40( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: year for american families. and the effects of open competition in exchange should bid premiums down as well. c.b.o. has said there are a lot of factors whether premiums go up or down, and frankly they have punted in a lot of those factors, but one part of the premiums costs about which they did make a projection, c.b.o. said that premiums would go down.

7:28:41 to 7:29:01( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: let me in a september 22 letter, c.b.o. said, and i currently statements that about 23% of premiums for policies that are purched in nongroup toward administrative costs and overhead." about 23% of policies goes toward

7:29:02 to 7:29:23( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: administrative costs and overhead. c.b.o. further goes on to say, though, and i'm quoting -- "under the proposal, that share could be reduced to 4% so if 23% of costs are administrative overhead, under the

7:29:24 to 7:29:45( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: reduced by four or five percentage points. that is lower costs, administrative costs which should result in lower premiums. myth number four: some say that you won't be able to keep your insurance. that, too, is false. nothing in our bill would take people's insurance away from them. no one would be forced into a particular this is a central feature of the way that we have gone about health care refor

7:29:46 to 7:30:08( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: we have not tried to change the employer-based system, a system that americans know and understand. we will improve upon it, make it work a lot better. we have not tried to fix something that is not broken. we have an employer-based system. it's very important that we improve upon it, not eliminate it. now, some who do not share our best interests assert that cuts

7:30:09 to 7:30:29( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: to some plans to no longer be offered. well, we do bring the government subsidies to medicare advantage more in line to government's commitment to conventional medicare. but our bill would not cut benefits under medicare advantage. rather, it would cut out waste the system to ensure that medicare is sustainable for

7:30:30 to 7:30:52( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: years to come. even after the cost of marketing and delivery of benefits and after making a profit, insurance companies are paid about 14% more, on average, than under medicare advantage -- in medicare advantage than under traditional medicare. insurance companies fill their pockets with these subsidies. our bill would end those subsidies.

7:30:53 to 7:31:13( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: the insurance plans want to cuts along to seniors, that's up to them the competive market, it would be hard to cheap to keep their cus yes, under our bill, medicare advantage plans would have to compete in the free market, but that's been true of insurance companies generally for ras long as there's been insurance.

7:31:14 to 7:31:34( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: it's true that we in our bill do not guarantee that the government will keep each and every insurance company in business. we should not. and we do not, and our bill would guarantee that each and every insurance plan. those are business decisions. those are private sector and that's wha where we leave t it's just absurd to say that people will

7:31:35 to 7:31:55( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: not be able to cape their insurance because the government is going to trim subsidies. that's pretty absurd statement. minimum wage number five: some say that our bill will raise taxes. that's false. in fact, our bill is a tax cut. our bill will cut taxes for millions of americans.

7:31:56 to 7:32:17( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: when fully phased in, our bill will cut tasks by tensions of billions of dollars every year. let me restate that. when ful phased in, our bill will cut taxes by tens of billions of dollars every year. and millions of americans will be able buy health insurance coverage. minimum wage number six: some say the highost of

7:32:18 to 7:32:39( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: premium excise costs will raise xes on workingamilies. that, too, is faxes the bill levies the tax on insurance companies. it will put downward pressure on insurance company profits and will put pressure on insurance companies to offer more efficient insurance plans. in taxation tells us that much of

7:32:40 to 7:33:00( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: the revenue that the high-cost premium excise tax brings in is because employers will give workers raises. people avoid insurance plans with high-cost premiums and, as a result, employers will raise workers' salaries with the mean to they save. that's from the joint committee on tax who thinks it will happen. that's what they say history of

7:33:01 to 7:33:21( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: and over again in public and written testimony. and finally, the biggestinimum wage of all, minimum wage number seven: some say our bill is a government takeover of health care. that's so false. we have built our plan on an exchange in the marketplace that allows a change among private health insurance company products.

7:33:22 to 7:33:43( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: private among company products. people will be able to choose their own plans. they can choose their own plans among private options. our bill does not include a public option. we did not include an employer mandate and cent. this is a uniquely american sliewsmghts we are not in canada, or britain.

7:33:44 to 7:34:05( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: we are in there is a balance between public and private. this legislation accomplishes that. we don't buy into government-only solutions in america, but we do believe in the priewls of the road. our bill provides a balanced solution and now c.b.o. says that we do so in a balanced way. soon it will come down to the senate. my colleagues, this will be our

7:34:06 to 7:34:20( Edit History Discussion )

Max Baucus: opportunity to make history. just think of it. our aions here will determine whether we will extend the blessing of better health care to more americans or not. ours is a balanced plan could pass the senate. our bill should win the support of republicans and democrats