Providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 766 and ask for its immediate consideration.

For the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart). All time yielded during the consideration of the rule is for debate only.

General Leave

I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous materials into the Record.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3631, the Medicare Premium Fairness Act, under suspension of the rules. It allows this body to consider time-sensitive legislation under an expedited process to shield millions of Medicare beneficiaries from harmful premium increases for the coming year.

Due to the struggles facing our economy today, many seniors will not receive Social Security COLAs this year, even though the Medicare part B premiums will still rise. The Medicare Premium Fairness Act addresses this problem by protecting Medicare beneficiaries from bearing the burden of increased premiums because of an economic downturn largely outside of their control. And it does so without adding to the deficit.

Without today's bill, seniors who are new to the Medicare program will see their monthly premiums jump dramatically. Other part B recipients will shoulder an unfairly large share of cost increases because of the way current law requires part B to be funded. Cash- strapped States will be forced to bear the burden of higher Medicare costs for dual-eligible beneficiaries.

For these reasons, I believe my colleagues will agree with me that inaction is not an option here today. As our country begins to climb back out of one of the largest recessions in recent memory, now is the worst possible moment to saddle our seniors with increased premiums.

Many respected outside groups agree with this statement and have endorsed the Medicare Premium Fairness Act. AARP, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and the Alliance for Retired Americans have all endorsed H.R. 3631.

These groups understand that we're living through a time when rising costs have threatened the health care people in this country have and deserve. This is true for Medicare beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries alike.

For this reason, making health care more affordable for all Americans is our top priority. And protecting and strengthening Medicare is an essential part of this vision. I urge my colleagues to support today's rule and the underlying bill so that beneficiaries can continue to see their doctors; so that they can continue to afford their prescriptions, especially medications; so that they can continue to have money to spend and cycle back through our recovering economy.

By acting quickly and decisively on today's bill, we underscore our commitment to preserve Medicare for millions of people who have earned the security it represents and who count on the stability and the dignity it provides. In doing so, we will keep our collective promise to stand with America's seniors as they age and to ensure they have the health care they need to live long and fruitful lives.

We must never forget that Medicare is an essential part of our country's social contract. It guarantees that America's seniors will not be forced to fend for themselves when the economy momentarily turns sour or when they get sick or as they age. This is the living legacy of the Medicare program, and it is a legacy we build upon today.

But we do not have much time to act, Mr. Speaker. We must pass this legislation before October 1. This is so that the Social Security Administration can program updated premiums into a system in time to ensure that Medicare premium increases do not hit seniors in their pocketbooks and in their doctors' offices. Speed and bipartisan cooperation are of essence if we are to avoid this problem.

The suspension authority this rule provides will allow the House to move quickly and decisively to move this fix over to the Senate. The sooner we have this bill on the President's desk, the better off millions of Medicare beneficiaries will be. I urge my colleagues to recognize that passing this bill quickly is in the best interest of our constituents, of the Medicare program, and of our country.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

The rule before us today allows the House to consider a very important and time-sensitive piece of legislation under suspension of the rules. It will help this body expedite a bill that most of us recognize needs to be passed as quickly as possible. Because there will be no Social Security COLA this year, millions of seniors will see their part B premiums rise with no offsetting bump in Social Security benefits.

Now is not the time to turn our back on people who depend on Medicare for essential health care services. This is particularly true as we continue our drive to make health insurance, including Medicare, more stable, secure, and affordable for everyone in this country. I urge my colleagues to consider the needs of the Medicare-dependent constituents. Vote for the previous question and for the rule, and approve the underlying legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the gentlelady and also my colleague from Florida. I rise to support this rule and the underlying bill. The seniors in my district in south Florida are grateful to my friend, Congresswoman Titus; the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Rangel; and the Health Subcommittee chairman, Mr. Stark, for acting swiftly to address one of the biggest issues facing our seniors as we speak.

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in 35 years, our seniors face a year without the traditional cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, as we call it, in their Social Security payments because inflation has not increased. Of course, if you try telling our seniors that inflation isn't a concern, the first thing they are going to do is show you their medical bills and prove you wrong, because a fact that our seniors know is fundamentally they have different expenses than a typical family of four because of their medical expenses.

Currently, the cost for seniors who utilize Medicare part B, services like doctor visits or home oxygen equipment, is around $96 a month. If we do nothing, if we fail to act today, then premiums could skyrocket to almost $120 a month for the same services.

During these tough economic times, we cannot ask seniors who face staggering losses in the value of their homes and retirement plans and increased medical costs to make additional sacrifices. That is why the Medicare Premium Fairness Act is so important. This bill will ensure that next year's premiums for all Medicare part B beneficiaries will not increase by a dime.

Earlier this week, this body acted to extend unemployment benefits. Florida will be one of the beneficiaries of that. Giving Americans a hand up during these tough economic times was the right thing to do then, and giving a hand up to our Greatest Generation is without question the right thing to do now.

I urge my colleagues to pass this rule and pass the Medicare Premium Fairness Act.

I'd like to thank my friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui) for the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

House Resolution 766 provides that it will be in order at any time on the legislative day of today to consider H.R. 3631, the Medicare Premium Fairness Act. That underlying legislation would freeze the Medicare part B premium for 2010 at the 2009 rate for beneficiaries who, under current law, will see a premium increase, along with an expected freeze in the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, COLA, for 2010 and 2011. Both of those combined would leave seniors with less income next year if Congress does not act. So I support underlying legislation.

Although I support the underlying legislation that is being brought to the floor under this rule, I have reservations with the process the majority is proposing today. And I'm not the only one who has reservations with that process.

In the past, a senior member of the current majority on the Rules Committee referred to this process as ``outside the normal parameters of the way the House should conduct its business. It effectively curtails our rights and responsibilities as serious legislators.''

The reason members of the majority previously opposed rules such as this is because they block Members from offering amendments and the minority from offering a motion to recommit. That, as you know, Mr. Speaker, is a very important procedural vehicle. Yet today, the majority considers this process to be completely legitimate.

So it's interesting how they thought it was wrong when they were in the minority, but once in the majority, it's a fine process.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I missed recorded votes on the House floor on Thursday, September 24, 2009.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 735 (on agreeing to H. Res. 766, which provides for consideration of motions to suspend the rules), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 736 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 163), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 737 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 3631).

Mr. Speaker, on September 24, 2009, I was called away on personal business. I regret that I was not present for the following votes:

On the passage of H. Res. 766, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

On the passage of H. Con. Res. 163, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''