[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15114]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     MEDICARE REFORM MEANS MODERNIZING HEALTH CARE FOR OUR SENIORS

  (Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, last night we marked up the 
Medicare bill in the Committee on Ways and Means, and we are hoping to 
pass a comprehensive Medicare bill by the 4th of July recess. Just a 
few minutes ago, we heard a sample of some of the rhetoric we are going 
to hear from the other side, the distortion, the demagoguery.
  There are three things we are trying to accomplish with Medicare 
reform which we accomplish in this bill: make Medicare fair for seniors 
across all of America in all States like my State of Wisconsin; 
modernize Medicare so that it is once again a comprehensive health care 
plan with prescription drug coverage; and number 3, and perhaps the 
most important part, recognize the fact that in 13 years, Medicare is 
going bankrupt and we need to pass reforms to make Medicare solvent for 
the baby boom generation.
  What we are doing is protecting all of the rights seniors have in 
Medicare today, but expanding their choices of coverage so they have 
the same choices, like every Member of Congress has here in their own 
health plan and every other Federal employee.
  We have to modernize Medicare. We have to make it fair for all of our 
constituents in all of our States, and we have to save this vital 
program for the baby boom generation, and that is what we are 
accomplishing.

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