[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 43 (Friday, March 14, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MEDICARE ADVANTAGE

  (Mr. DENHAM asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, more than 14 million seniors nationwide 
depend on Medicare Advantage plans for their health care needs. In two 
of the counties that I represent in California's Central Valley, over 
60,000 seniors are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
  The program is an absolute necessity for them because it limits their 
out-of-pocket expense, protecting them from the threat of bankruptcy 
due to a complicated and an ongoing medical condition.
  The President's massive government overhaul of our health care system 
has raided $300 million from Medicare Advantage plans and created a 
health care tax that has just started this year. These payment cuts and 
the new health insurance tax are already being felt with canceled 
plans, reduced benefits, and increased co-payments.
  There are 33,000 seniors in my county--Stanislaus County--making 
under $20,000 a year, who are going to be hit with almost $100 per 
month. They have a right to know when this tax is going to hit them, 
what the expense is going to be. Seniors on limited incomes should have 
the right to know, which is why I authored the Seniors' Right to Know 
Act.

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