U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today released the following statement regarding his vote against H.R. 2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the Farm Bill:

“The bill passed today by the House of Representatives contained many positive provisions, including several that would benefit Washington state.  Unfortunately, the core of the bill retained its wasteful, trade-distorting subsidies and represents a missed opportunity for real agricultural and trade policy reform.

“This year’s Farm Bill did contain provisions which I could have supported on their own, including an additional $10.4 billion for nutrition programs to help Americans afford healthy food.  The bill also contained funds to mitigate massive salmon season closures in our state, along with tax relief for timber producers.  This year’s Farm Bill also included welcome assistance for fruit, vegetable and specialty crops, along with research to aid global competitiveness of our Washington state farmers.  Any of these provisions would have been policies I could support had the overall bill not been so fundamentally flawed.

“The fact is that our agriculture policy contains wasteful, market-distorting subsidies that insult taxpayers and hamper our nation’s economic growth prospects by undermining our trade policies.  Our farm programs and those of other developed countries have been a central factor in blocking a breakthrough in global trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO).  This stalemate over agriculture policy is preventing the conclusion of an agreement that could bring hundreds of billions of dollars of growth to the global economy, with major benefits for American manufactures, workers, farmers, and consumers alike.  Few would benefit more from such a deal than residents of Washington State, where one in three jobs is linked to global trade.  But this five-year bill misses that key opportunity by reauthorizing billions of dollars in market-distorting subsidies, effectively tying the next President’s hands in global trade negotiations.  We can’t afford to take that step backwards.

“Aside from the trade concerns, the subsidy programs in the Farm Bill waste taxpayer dollars on too many well-off farmers that don’t need the help.  The bill provides for subsidies to be paid to farming households with a combined income of up to $2.5 million dollars.  The authors of the bill missed an opportunity to move ahead with real reform, instead opting for a mere 0.6 percent cut to the most wasteful type of subsidies.  This is not real reform.

“This bill contained many peripheral provisions that could have been of benefit to American families and to Washington state in particular.  It is unfortunate, however, that the core of the bill remains so fundamentally flawed.”

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today introduced legislation to address national Medicare reimbursement disparities that hurt Washington state.  The legislation, which Murray and Smith first introduced in 2002, raises Washington state’s Medicare reimbursement rates to the national average and ensures that all states receive at least the national average of per-patient spending.  The MediFair Act ensures that Washington state’s seniors are on par with seniors around the country and stops punishing the state’s health care system for providing efficient, quality care.

“Washington state’s Medicare program is one of the most efficient in the country.  The federal program punishes our lack of waste and low utilization through very low reimbursement rates for our seniors and health care system.  We should reward good government, not punish it, and the MediFair Act is a good step in that direction,” Smith said.

"Washington state seniors have spent their lives working hard, raising their families, and paying into the Medicare system. But when they retire, they find that their access to health care depends upon where they happen to live," Senator Murray said. "The MediFair Act is a starting point for eliminating the regional inequities in Medicare. Our bill ensures that seniors are not penalized when they choose to retire and that doctors aren't forced to choose between staying in business or taking Medicare patients."

The MediFair Act will ensure Washington’s seniors and health care system get fair treatment from the federal Medicare program and reward efficiency instead of punishing it.   The bill increases reimbursement rates for Washington state to the national average and directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require other states be more efficient.

The federal Medicare and Medicare Advantage systems cover health care for senior citizens by reimbursing doctors, hospitals, home health care, nursing homes and HMOs.  Washington state worked hard to create an efficient Medicare system.  Instead of rewarding Washington state’s responsible administration of their program, the federal government’s payment formula repays our state with one of the lowest reimbursement rates in the country. 

In 2003, for example, per capita spending under traditional Medicare was $5,661 for beneficiaries in Seattle, $9,752 for those in Los Angeles, and $11,340 for those in Miami. Continuing cuts to the Medicare program hit our state particularly hard and cause Medicare providers and insurance companies to seriously consider not participating in the Washington state Medicare program.  We need to protect choice for our seniors and ensure they can find a Medicare provider when they seek medical care.

Smith and Murray introduced the MediFair Act in their respective chambers of Congress on Thursday.  U.S. Reps. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), Norm Dicks (D-Wash.),  Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) cosponsored the bill. The House and the Senate must approve their versions of the legislation before the President can sign it into law.  Smith and Murray introduced similar legislation in 2005.