WASHINGTON - Congressman Adam
Kinzinger, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released
the following statement following passage of H.R. 2, the bipartisan Medicare
Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which passed the House by a vote of
392-37:
"Today, a
strong, bipartisan majority of the House came together and passed a permanent
fix to a long-standing problem that threatened access to medical care for senior
citizens," said Congressman Kinzinger. "The first real entitlement reform in
nearly two decades, this legislation repeals once and for all the fatally flawed
Sustainable Growth Rate formula for reimbursing Medicare health care providers,
and implements structural reforms that will strengthen Medicare and put the
program on a more sound financial footing. This historic legislation is a
positive step forward for a Congress that for too long has been focused on
partisan gimmicks."
H.R. 2 will
permanently repeal the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate, establish a fair and
stable payment system for Medicare, protect seniors' access to their doctors,
begin to strengthen Medicare over the long term, and extend the Children's
Health Insurance Program. H.R.
2 was approved by a vote of 392 – 37. Read a summary of the legislation
online here.