OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Editorial Response Concerning Medicare

Date: April 2, 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Senior Citizens Entitlements and the Safety Net Health Insurance

The March 27 editorial, "Medicare: GOP Must Fix It . . . ," made it sound like Senator Tom Harkin's amendment to the budget resolution would have solved Iowa's Medicare equity problem with the blink of an eye.

If only it were that simple. In fact, an "aye" vote on his amendment to spend $25 billion could have resulted in neither money nor equity for Iowa. That's because an amendment to add money to a budget resolution -whatever it says about how the money should be spent -can't require the committee of jurisdiction to spend the money for that specific purpose.

The Register tagged my vote as "party line."

It would be more accurate to characterize my actions -including the major bill I introduced last year that would have greatly improved Medicare reimbursement for Iowa and the bill I got passed earlier this year to help Iowa hospitals and doctors -along the lines of a legislator working to pass bipartisan policy that makes Medicare's payment system fair for Iowa and delivers a prescription-drug benefit for senior citizens.

-Senator Chuck Grassley,

Washington, D. C.

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