Nursing home providers say they are looking forward to a set of House Ways and Means Committee hearings on Social Security starting next Thursday.

Discussions will be held for at least week, and will continue “until we produce legislation, probably in the early part of June,” said Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA). Talks will be held in the full committee and then Thomas will transfer to the Chairman of the Subcommittee, Jim McCrery (R-LA).
The hearings “are critical to maintaining momentum as we evaluate how to best address the most significant challenge facing our nation,” said Hal Daub, chairman and CEO of the American Health Care Association. “We look forward to working with the chairman and like-minded members of the Committee and Congress who also believe a multi-faceted approach to preserving and protecting Americans’ retirement security must supersede a narrow focus on just Social Security.” 
The hearings are a reaction to President Bush’s challenge to fix the ailing Social Security system.