Boehner: H.R. 2 begins the process of entitlement reform

Debate on H.R. 2, “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015”

United States House of Representatives
C-SPAN, March 26, 2015

Speaker of the House John Boehner:

We expect to end the so-called doc fix once and for all. Many of you know we’ve patched this problem seventeen times over the last eleven years, and I decided about a year ago that I had had enough of it. In its place we’ll deliver for the American people the first real entitlement reform…

Today it’s about a problem much bigger than any doc fix or any deadline. It’s about beginning the process of solving our spending problem, and it’s about strengthening and saving Medicare which is at the heart of that problem. Normally we’d be here to admit that we’re just going to kick the can down the road one more time. But today, because of what we’re doing here, we’re going to save money 20, 30, 40 years down the road. …

We can’t become complacent. We’ve got more serious entitlement reform that’s needed. It shouldn’t take another two decades to do it, and frankly I don’t think we’ve got that much time. But I’m here today to urge all of our members to begin that process, and the process begins by voting yes on H.R. 2 today.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?324978-1/us-house-medicare-payments-doctors&live

Comment:

By Don McCanne, M.D.

H.R. 2 passed in the House today by a vote of 392 to 37. It goes to the Senate where it will be voted on tomorrow. But is this really about the “doc fix” – eliminating SGR? Speaker of the House John Boehner clarifies that for us. It’s about entitlement reform and H.R. 2 begins that process.

Entitlement reform…