S.Con.Res.70: Here is the "Sense" of Congress on Our Budget

Howe Itis · 11th September 2008 11:03 AM

Look at what our Congress is saying. In a nutshell, our Congress says, "We know we are in a world of hurt because of entitlements. But let's not touch them. Let's just bury our heads in the sand and call for a "study."

That's a BS, chicken approach if I've ever seen one. They don't want to be responsible for doing what they obviously have to do. So, they'll do nothing, allow the problem to continue, and pretend they are studying to find some miracle way to get something for nothing.
Here you go! Your Congress:

(read the bolded and underlined sections)

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)::

S.CON.RES.70

Setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2009 and including the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2008 and 2010 through 2013. (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)

SEC. 513. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING LONG-TERM FISCAL REFORM.

It is the sense of the Congress that--

- (1) both the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office have warned that the Federal budget is on an unsustainable path of rising deficits and debt;

- (2) using recent trend data and reasonable policy assumptions, CBO has projected that the gap between spending and revenues over the next 75 years will reach 6.9 percent of GDP;

- (3) publicly held debt will rise from 36 percent today to 400 percent of GDP by the decade beginning in 2050 under CBO's alternative policy scenario;

- (4) the most significant factor affecting the long-term Federal fiscal landscape is the expectation that total public and private health spending will continue to grow faster than the economy;

- (5) the Congress calls upon governmental and nongovernmental experts to develop specific options to reform the health care system and control costs, that further research and analysis on topics including comparative effectiveness, health information technology, preventative care, and provider incentives is needed, and that of critical importance is the development of a consensus on the appropriate methods for estimating the budgetary impact and health outcome effects of these proposals; and

- (6) immediate policy action is needed to address the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States, including the rising costs of entitlements, in a manner that is fiscally responsible, equitable, and lasting, and that also honors commitments made to beneficiaries, and that such action should be bipartisan, bicameral, involve both legislative and executive branch participants, as well as public participation, and be conducted in a manner that ensures full, fair, and timely Congressional consideration.
- TITLE V--SENSE OF THE SENATE AND CONGRESS
  
  Subtitle A--Sense of the Senate
  
  SEC. 501. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING MEDICAID ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS.
  - (a) Findings- The Senate makes the following findings:
  - - (1) The Medicaid program provides essential health care and long-term care services to approximately 60,000,000 low-income children, pregnant women, parents, individuals with disabilities, and senior citizens. It is a Federal guarantee that ensures the most vulnerable will have access to needed medical services.
  - - (2) Medicaid provides critical access to long-term care and other services for the elderly and individuals living with disabilities, and is the single largest provider of long-term care services.
    - - (3) Medicaid supplements the Medicare program for about 7,500,000 low-income elderly or disabled Medicare beneficiaries, assisting them with their Medicare premiums and co-insurance, wrap-around benefits, and the costs of nursing home care that Medicare does not cover. The Medicaid program spends over $100,000,000,000 on uncovered Medicare services.
      - (4) Medicaid provides health insurance for more than one-quarter of America's children and is the largest purchaser of maternity care, paying for more than one-third of all the births in the United States each year. Medicaid also provides critical access to care for children with disabilities, covering more than 70 percent of poor children with disabilities.
      - (5) More than 21,000,000 women depend on Medicaid for their health care. Women comprise the majority of seniors (64 percent) on Medicaid. Half of nonelderly women with permanent mental or physical disabilities have health coverage through Medicaid. Medicaid provides treatment for low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in every State.
      - (6) Medicaid is the Nation's largest source of payment for mental health services, HIV/AIDS care, and care for children with special needs. Much of this care is either not covered by private insurance or limited in scope or duration. Medicaid is also a critical source of funding for health care for children in foster care and for health services in schools.
      - (7) Medicaid funds help ensure access to care for all Americans. Medicaid is the single largest source of revenue for the Nation's safety net hospitals, health centers, and nursing homes, and is critical to the ability of these providers to adequately serve all Americans.
      - (8) Medicaid serves a major role in ensuring that the number of Americans without health insurance, approximately 47,000,000 in 2006, is not substantially higher. The system of Federal matching for State Medicaid expenditures ensures that Federal funds will grow as State spending increases in response to unmet needs, enabling Medicaid to help buffer the drop in private coverage during recessions.
      - (9) The Bush Administration has issued several regulations that shift Medicaid cost burdens onto States and put at risk the continued availability of much-needed services. The regulations relate to Federal payments to public providers, and for graduate medical education, rehabilitation services, school-based administration, school-based transportation, optional case management services.
      - (b) Sense of the Senate- It is the sense of the Senate that administrative regulations should not--
      - (1) undermine the role the Medicaid program plays as a critical component of the health care system of the United States;
      - (2) cap Federal Medicaid spending, or otherwise shift Medicaid cost burdens to State or local governments and their taxpayers and health providers, forcing a reduction in access to essential health services for low-income elderly individuals, individuals with disabilities, and children and families; or
      - (3) undermine the Federal guarantee of health insurance coverage Medicaid provides, which would threaten not only the health care safety net of the United States, but the entire health care system.

anonnymous · 11th September 2008 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by Howe Itis

Look at what our Congress is saying. In a nutshell, our Congress says, "We know we are in a world of hurt because of entitlements. But let's not touch them. Let's just bury our heads in the sand and call for a "study."

That's a BS, chicken approach if I've ever seen one. They don't want to be responsible for doing what they obviously have to do. So, they'll do nothing, allow the problem to continue, and pretend they are studying to find some miracle way to get something for nothing.
Here you go! Your Congress:

(read the bolded and underlined sections)

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)::

S.CON.RES.70

Setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2009 and including the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2008 and 2010 through 2013. (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)

SEC. 513. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING LONG-TERM FISCAL REFORM.

It is the sense of the Congress that--

- (1) both the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office have warned that the Federal budget is on an unsustainable path of rising deficits and debt;

- (2) using recent trend data and reasonable policy assumptions, CBO has projected that the gap between spending and revenues over the next 75 years will reach 6.9 percent of GDP;

- (3) publicly held debt will rise from 36 percent today to 400 percent of GDP by the decade beginning in 2050 under CBO's alternative policy scenario;

- (4) the most significant factor affecting the long-term Federal fiscal landscape is the expectation that total public and private health spending will continue to grow faster than the economy;

- (5) the Congress calls upon governmental and nongovernmental experts to develop specific options to reform the health care system and control costs, that further research and analysis on topics including comparative effectiveness, health information technology, preventative care, and provider incentives is needed, and that of critical importance is the development of a consensus on the appropriate methods for estimating the budgetary impact and health outcome effects of these proposals; and

- (6) immediate policy action is needed to address the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States, including the rising costs of entitlements, in a manner that is fiscally responsible, equitable, and lasting, and that also honors commitments made to beneficiaries, and that such action should be bipartisan, bicameral, involve both legislative and executive branch participants, as well as public participation, and be conducted in a manner that ensures full, fair, and timely Congressional consideration.
- TITLE V--SENSE OF THE SENATE AND CONGRESS
  
  Subtitle A--Sense of the Senate
  
  SEC. 501. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING MEDICAID ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS.
  - (a) Findings- The Senate makes the following findings:
  - - (1) The Medicaid program provides essential health care and long-term care services to approximately 60,000,000 low-income children, pregnant women, parents, individuals with disabilities, and senior citizens. It is a Federal guarantee that ensures the most vulnerable will have access to needed medical services.
  - - (2) Medicaid provides critical access to long-term care and other services for the elderly and individuals living with disabilities, and is the single largest provider of long-term care services.
    - - (3) Medicaid supplements the Medicare program for about 7,500,000 low-income elderly or disabled Medicare beneficiaries, assisting them with their Medicare premiums and co-insurance, wrap-around benefits, and the costs of nursing home care that Medicare does not cover. The Medicaid program spends over $100,000,000,000 on uncovered Medicare services.
      - (4) Medicaid provides health insurance for more than one-quarter of America's children and is the largest purchaser of maternity care, paying for more than one-third of all the births in the United States each year. Medicaid also provides critical access to care for children with disabilities, covering more than 70 percent of poor children with disabilities.
      - (5) More than 21,000,000 women depend on Medicaid for their health care. Women comprise the majority of seniors (64 percent) on Medicaid. Half of nonelderly women with permanent mental or physical disabilities have health coverage through Medicaid. Medicaid provides treatment for low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in every State.
      - (6) Medicaid is the Nation's largest source of payment for mental health services, HIV/AIDS care, and care for children with special needs. Much of this care is either not covered by private insurance or limited in scope or duration. Medicaid is also a critical source of funding for health care for children in foster care and for health services in schools.
      - (7) Medicaid funds help ensure access to care for all Americans. Medicaid is the single largest source of revenue for the Nation's safety net hospitals, health centers, and nursing homes, and is critical to the ability of these providers to adequately serve all Americans.
      - (8) Medicaid serves a major role in ensuring that the number of Americans without health insurance, approximately 47,000,000 in 2006, is not substantially higher. The system of Federal matching for State Medicaid expenditures ensures that Federal funds will grow as State spending increases in response to unmet needs, enabling Medicaid to help buffer the drop in private coverage during recessions.
      - (9) The Bush Administration has issued several regulations that shift Medicaid cost burdens onto States and put at risk the continued availability of much-needed services. The regulations relate to Federal payments to public providers, and for graduate medical education, rehabilitation services, school-based administration, school-based transportation, optional case management services.
      - (b) Sense of the Senate- It is the sense of the Senate that administrative regulations should not--
      - (1) undermine the role the Medicaid program plays as a critical component of the health care system of the United States;
      - (2) cap Federal Medicaid spending, or otherwise shift Medicaid cost burdens to State or local governments and their taxpayers and health providers, forcing a reduction in access to essential health services for low-income elderly individuals, individuals with disabilities, and children and families; or
      - (3) undermine the Federal guarantee of health insurance coverage Medicaid provides, which would threaten not only the health care safety net of the United States, but the entire health care system.