31
Jul
2015
Sen. Chuck Grassley today made the following comment on the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. Grassley is a senior member of the Finance Committee, where he served as chairman and ranking member.
"These programs have served older Americans and those in need admirably for 50 years. I support these programs, and I'm committed to strengthening them in the future so they can serve Americans for another 50 years.
"A highlight for me was creating the prescription drug benefit to Medicare as chairman of the authorizing committee. That improved Medicare and made it better reflect the modern practice of medicine. A major Medicaid achievement was allowing the families of children with disabilities to buy into coverage without having to quit their jobs and impoverish themselves. Going forward, I'm working to enact my current legislation to create a new Medicare designation for rural hospitals focused on emergency rooms and outpatient services. I also hope for enactment of my bill to create a demonstration project with new incentives for states to use Medicaid dollars to improve independent work options for those with disabilities. At the same time, I work to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid that all take money away from people in need. The False Claims Act continues to work well against health care fraud. I continue to look for tough oversight from the federal agencies on health care fraud, including audits of Medicare Advantage spending and dental fraud in Medicaid."
