[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 128 (Thursday, August 3, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H8313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 MEDICARE: NO COMMON SENSE IN CONGRESS

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, the American people are 
gradually learning the truth about the Republican Medicare program. As 
the Wall Street Journal reported 3 days ago, raising Medicare premiums 
and copayments on seniors is becoming a likely possibility.
  Republicans are finding that forcing seniors into HMO's may not 
provide the short-term cost savings they were hoping for, but the 
Democrats knew all along that the health care reform and Medicare 
reform should not be treated as a short-term budget exercise.
  As you will recall, Madam Speaker, the Republicans only started 
talking about Medicare after their Contract With America rhetoric 
forced them to, by accident. Then they discovered the impending crisis 
in medical care, which President Clinton talked about all last year.
  Madam Speaker, cutting $270 billion is not the way to save Medicare. 
It is becoming obvious to seniors that including $270 billion in cuts 
to their benefits and $245 billion in tax cuts in the same budget bill 
is poor public policy and really a raw deal. This Republican majority 
Congress wants to balance our budget on the backs of seniors, and today 
they are cutting programs for our youth.
  This Congress wants to cut our oldest and youngest, forsake our 
elders and cut our future. To paraphrase my friend from Ohio, ``Beam me 
up.'' There is no common sense here in Congress.


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