[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24295]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         LISTEN TO OUR SENIORS

  (Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I say to the President, 
``Listen to our seniors.'' My seniors are being hurt by their 
Medicare+Choice plans leaving the market. They are hurt because through 
these plans they get better benefits than Medicare offers, and millions 
of seniors in these plans are sicker and poorer than most of our senior 
citizens and can't afford Medigap prices.
  You are closing down their plans, by having increased their 
reimbursements 2 percent a year for 3 years, and now offering 3 percent 
when costs are trending up at 8 to 10 percent, as well as giving every 
single Medicare provider a bigger increase. Your policy is simply 
forcing them out of the market.
  Mr. Speaker, I would say to the President that the plans have already 
left the less densely populated areas and in the next round are going 
to leave areas like New York City and its boroughs, leaving millions of 
seniors stranded. And, cruelly, these seniors cannot buy Medigap 
insurance either, because they cannot afford it or they would be 
excluded because of preexisting conditions.
  Mr. Speaker, I again say to the President, ``Mr. President, help our 
seniors by giving the managed care plus choice plans a decent increase 
this year. And next year, let us reform Medicare so that the benefits 
are better for all seniors and the reimbursements fairer and simpler.

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