[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H9715-H9716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MEDICARE PROGRAM HAS OPERATED FOR 30 YEARS WITH CURRENT FUNDING

  (Mr. VENTO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VENTO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Medicare Program. 
For 30 years the Democrats have kept this program operating, serving 
more than 37 million seniors today, and the Medicaid Program, again 
which serves millions of Americans. The fact is that this program has 
been kept in place and it is a current funding program.
  Unfortunately, many in this body and many that receive the benefits 
do not understand what current funding means. It is a different form of 
funding, and the trustee report, obviously, has to be responded to. But 
what is taking place here is that the trustee report with regards to 
the long-term funding of Medicare is being used to blackmail many 
Members of this body and the senior citizens into voting to or giving 
up their Medicare benefits.
  Madam Speaker, last year in this body we were talking about extending 
health care benefits to those that do not have health care insurance. 
Today, because we did not do that, over a million Americans from 
working families do not have health care. What is going on today is, 
rather than extending benefits, the Congress is set to take health care 
benefits away--punching holes in the coverage; reneging on the 30-year 
commitment.
  The Congress will take half a trillion dollars out of Medicaid and 
Medicare. And what is the purpose of it? The purpose is because the 
priorities of this body have changed. The goal is to fund the tax break 
for the well heeled. Medicare is in trouble because the Republicans are 
in control of Congress and they do not share the commitment to Medicare 
and to health care for all Americans. 

[[Page H 9716]]

  Mr. Speaker, last year at this time Congressional Democrats fought to 
address the problems with our health care system and try to extend 
health care coverage to uninsured Americans. The health care reform 
effort was stopped by the Republican leadership. Since that time, 
another 1.4 million Americans have lost their health insurance, raising 
the number of uninsured to 43 million. This is becoming the annual rate 
of people losing their health insurance--a million people a year.
  Now the Republicans want to take away health insurance from even more 
people by shredding our Nation's insurance safety net of Medicare and 
Medicaid. What a difference that 1 year makes. Last year, we talked 
about how many more Americans could get health insurance, this year 
Republicans are talking about how many people they can take health 
insurance away from, supposedly in order to save money. But we know 
that as the number of uninsured Americans grows, health care costs go 
up for everyone--when the uninsured don't get preventive care, they 
have to go to the emergency rooms for expensive procedures when their 
health problems become serious.
  Under the Republican plan, not only will more families be uninsured 
and have to face the frightening prospect of being unable to take their 
children to the doctor when they are sick, but more families will feel 
the squeeze as they attempt to stretch their dollars between their 
children's education and rising health care premiums.
  Mr. Speaker, even the trustees of the Medicare Trust Fund oppose the 
Republican plan. The problems we face with health care demand a 
response, but a long-term solution requires more than slashing health 
care coverage. The need remains to not consider Medicare and Medicaid 
in a vacuum, but address the health care system as a whole.

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