ENZI CO-SPONSORS BILL TO PROTECT MEDICARE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, PUT FEDERAL BUDGET ON PATH TO CONTROL WASTEFUL SPENDING

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of theSenate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP Committee), today cosponsoreda bill designed to “take the first steps toward broad Medicare reform and helpplace it on a sustainable path to ensure that seniors can receive the care and drugs theyneed for generations to come.” “Medicare is on an unsustainable path and will not be able to continue meetingthe needs of America’s patients or adequately reimburse health care providers who serveMedicare clients without real, comprehensive reform,” Enzi said Tuesday. “Thisproposal is a critical first step toward broad reform to modernize and stabilize Medicare.”Enzi cosponsored the bill with Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH)and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). The bill would reduce Medicare spending by linking Medicare part D premiumsto income so that low-income and-middle income taxpayers do not continue to subsidizehigher-income older persons. It also would strengthen Medicare by laying a foundationfor the budget reform long needed to sustain quality patient care for the elderly andensuring that health care providers are adequately reimbursed for care provided toMedicare patients. “Decreasing the deficit by controlling spending is essential,” Enzi said. “It is alsoessential to focus customer service where it will do people the most good and allowenough flexibility in the program to ensure high quality care in Medicare. This proposalmaintains that focus and moves us in the right direction toward Medicare reform.” Enzi, who serves on the Senate Budget Committee, and is one the Senate’s mostoutspoken proponents of meaningful budget reform, said the legislation provides keyreforms to improve the quality of care and reduce costs by expanding the use of healthinformation technology, bringing greater transparency to allow patients to compare costsof services, providing incentives for high-quality, low cost care, and introducing medicalliability reform. These same critical reforms are included in a bill Enzi has introduced,“Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America,” (S.1783) , which is a comprehensivesolution to expand access to affordable health care for all Americans. He is currentlyworking to move that bill through the Senate. ###