[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 83 (Thursday, May 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HOW THE BUDGET WILL AFFECT ANTOINETTE ``TONI'' PODOJIL

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, these Republican Medicare cuts are not just 
number-crunching, they mean real medical service reductions affecting 
real people.
  Let me introduce you to Toni Podojil from Cleveland. Toni is 83 years 
old. She worked in the textile industry before her first retirement, 
but with minimum pension benefits and Social Security benefits, which 
is true with many women she had to get a job with the united labor 
agency. She will have to retire again soon and they will then live on a 
combined pension of about $600 a month.
  Toni is a survivor of uterine cancer, she has had a heart attack, and 
she suffers from a hearing loss. Uncovered medical expenses now equal 
almost half her retirement income. When she retires a second time at 
age 83, what can she expect under this unfair budget? A doubled 
Medicare part B premium; over $553 more a year? An increased part A 
deductible over $1,200 more a year?
  Let us balance the budget, not give away tax breaks to the wealthiest 
in this country.


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