II 112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 789 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 12, 2011 Mr. Baucus (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To express the sense of the Senate that Medicare should not be dismantled and turned into a voucher program.

1.

Sense of the Senate that Medicare should not be dismantled and turned into a voucher program

(a)

Findings

The Senate makes the following findings: (1)The Medicare program has been providing affordable health care for elderly and disabled Americans for decades. (2)Forty-seven million Americans currently rely on the Medicare program for their health care. (3)The Congressional Budget Office has stated that under the House Budget Committee fiscal year 2012 budget resolution most elderly people would pay more for their health care than they would pay under the current Medicare system. (b)

Sense of the Senate

It is the sense of the Senate that— (1)Medicare should not be dismantled and turned into a voucher or premium-support program; (2)deficit reduction should not be achieved by simply passing on the costs of health care to Medicare beneficiaries; (3)guaranteed Medicare benefits should be preserved; (4)medical decisions should be made by seniors and their doctors, not insurance companies; and (5)deficit reduction should be achieved by lowering health care costs through delivery system reforms.