<font size="-1" , face="Arial" ,"Helvetica">National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare

GO TO: Medicare HOME | Press Releases and Public Statements

For Immediate Release:  February 26, 1999
Contact: Rusty Jabour

National Medicare Commission to Continue Working to Make Recommendations; Panel Will Meet During the Week of March 8 in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (February 26) – Citing the issues facing Medicare as "complex, difficult, and of great importance to every American," the Chairmen of the national Medicare commission today advised the Congress and the White House that the Commission will work past March 1 in an effort to make a required majority recommendation for reform.

Commission Chairmen Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) and Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA) said the 17-member Commission will meet during the week of March 8 to try and get at least the 11 votes needed to make formal recommendations to the Congress and the President. As soon as the Commission meeting is set, a notice will be issued.

"We are pleased to report that after a year of intensive work and wide-ranging analysis, the Commission is in the final stages of its deliberations, and we are optimistic that we will be able to submit our recommendations shortly after March 1. We do not anticipate a need to extend the life of the Commission beyond its termination date of March 31, 1999," the Chairmen wrote in a letter sent today to Congressional leaders and President Clinton.

" The issues the Commission was directed to consider are complex, difficult, and of great importance to every American — Medicare beneficiaries, future beneficiaries, and taxpayers," the letter said.

The letter was sent to President Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt.

The Commission was established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and was charged with studying the challenges facing Medicare and recommending ways to strengthen and improve the 33-year-old program. Today, Medicare provides health care for about 38 million people, including 33 million seniors and five million Americans with disabilities.

Since Jan. 26, the Commissioners have been examining a Medicare reform proposal offered by Chairman Breaux. That proposal features a "premium support" model, patterned after the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), which provides health insurance for nine million federal employees, retirees and dependents nationwide. At Wednesday’s Commission meeting, Chairman Breaux said the Commission could continue working through March if there was a good chance of getting at least the 11 votes needed for the report.

<font size="-1" , face="Arial" ,"Helvetica">Back to Top