[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 14, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H700-H701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       DEMOCRATS PROTECT MEDICARE

  (Ms. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 3 million seniors 
represented by the Alliance for Retired Americans, I rise with my 
Democratic colleagues to accept their valentine for our vote to improve 
Medicare under the health care reform law. Our seniors deserve love, 
care, and support every day. But today, on a day when people all across 
the country are celebrating with their loved ones, let us stand 
together and show our appreciation to the more than 47 million seniors 
who make up the fabric of our country.
  In my State of Maryland, the Affordable Care Act is already working 
to provide more than 70,000 seniors with preventive care benefits and 
offers a 50 percent discount for prescription drugs to nearly 4,000 
beneficiaries who enter the Medicare part D doughnut hole.

[[Page H701]]

  The Ryan budget, lauded by Republicans, would replace Medicare with 
an inefficient voucher plan and increase the out-of-pocket costs of 
Maryland seniors by more than $6,800 in the first year alone. And while 
they charge the health reform bill cut Medicare, Republicans fail to 
admit that they adopted in their plan the same $500 billion in 
``cuts''--actually cost savings--included in the health care reform 
law.
  So I stand with my colleagues to assure seniors that we'll protect 
Medicare today and in the future. And to all of those seniors I visited 
this morning, Happy Valentine's Day.

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