Our nation faces great challenges that require collective persistence and collective sacrifice to overcome. Two of these challenges that I hear the most about from my constituents are the need to reduce the national debt and enact health care reform. Their concerns come from a basic sense of responsibility and decency – and are true to Wisconsin’s progressive tradition. They believe, as I believe, that the government should be required to balance their budget just as Wisconsinites balance their checkbook. They believe, as I believe, that every American - regardless of wealth, race, gender, or age - deserves good, affordable health care. These basic principles of fiscal and social responsibility have guided me throughout my seventeen years in the Senate. And it is these principles, Mr. President, that lead me to conclude that I cannot support S. 1776, the Medicare Physician Fairness Act, because it will substantially add to our national deficit.  

I believe that the Medicare sustainable growth rate is a broken policy and must be fixed. I also believe that requiring Congress to pay for enacting new policies is critical to our long term financial stability and strength as a nation. Waiving “pay/go” requirements for this legislation simply puts a different name on the same $247 billion problem. It passes the buck, and that’s not good enough for me. 

Just this week, I introduced the “Control Spending Now Act.”  This bill consists of dozens of different initiatives that would collectively reduce the deficit by over one-half trillion dollars over ten years. Redirecting just a portion of the savings in my legislation would more than pay for the Medicare Physician Fairness Act. We do not have a lack of funding options; we have a lack of political will to make those tough decisions. And lack of political will is not a good reason to add to the national deficit. 

For years, I have called for significant reform of the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula. I have heard from countless Wisconsin physicians about how damaging these potential cuts are to their ability to provide health care. And I am seriously concerned that without a comprehensive change, Medicare beneficiaries’ access to the health care they need will be limited. The Medicare SGR formula is a real and growing problem that deserves thoughtful and fiscally responsible reform.