Hudson Votes for Conservative Entitlement Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement after voting to strengthen Medicare and establish the most significant structural entitlement reform in nearly two decades without increasing taxes:

“Washington’s smoke and mirrors – most notably the flawed SGR - have distorted Medicare’s spending, significantly driving our debt and wasting our tax dollars. While far from perfect, this legislation is the best opportunity to close the book on costly short-term patches while strengthening Medicare for seniors and producing real savings for taxpayers over the long term.”

After 17 patches in 12 years and nearly $170 billion spent, it is clear that Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula does not work and must be repealed and replaced to provide better care for seniors and save our tax dollars.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act(H.R. 2) will permanently repeal and replace Medicare’s flawed SGR while structurally strengthening Medicare and enacting conservative entitlement reform to address one of the biggest drivers of our debt. These reforms produce significant savings for taxpayers over the long term and pave the way for a Medicare system that promotes higher quality care for seniors while strengthening the doctor-patient relationship.