[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 160 (Tuesday, October 17, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H10087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SPECIAL INTERESTS WINNING IN REPUBLICAN MEDICARE PROPOSAL

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, last week, we learned the extent to which 
the special interests are winning out over the public interests when it 
comes to the Republican Medicare proposal. Two groups came to 
Washington to protest the GOP plan to cut $270 billion from Medicare; 
one group got a $3 billion deal, the other got arrested.
  Here is a photo, of 67-year-old Roberta Saxton as she is handcuffed 
by Capitol Police. Her crime? She came to the people's House to ask 
questions about plans to change her health care plan.
  While Roberta was being arrested, the American Medical Association 
was treated to a different reception. They did not get handcuffed, they 
got handed a $3 billion deal in a private meeting with Speaker 
Gingrich. As the New York Times editorialized this weekend in a piece 
entitled ``Bribes for the Doctors''--the Speaker's concessions made an 
already bad Medicare bill substantially worse. This bill was never 
designed to give the elderly high quality health care. It is less 
likely to do so now.

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