[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 14, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICARE

  (Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the 
question that is on the minds of every senior in America, and that 
question is, what is the future of Medicare? And what is this Congress 
doing to protect it?
  The President's budget, which was released just yesterday, fails to 
address the inevitable bankruptcy this program faces. His budget 
includes a record budget deficit. His budget also includes over $2 
trillion in tax increases that will not only destroy jobs but do 
nothing to protect the future of Medicare. We know that ObamaCare cut 
$500 billion out of Medicare. And now the President in his budget is 
asking for more than $360 billion in additional cuts.
  The President's health care bill is destroying a program that was 
designed to protect seniors. It's limiting access, increasing costs, 
and lowering quality care. According to the American Medical 
Association, one out of three doctors already limits the number of 
Medicare patients they see. Just try to find a doctor in eastern 
Washington who will take a new Medicare patient. This is unacceptable. 
We can do better, and we must do better.

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