[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17835]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS

  (Mr. GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address the rising 
health care costs facing our seniors.
  This last week the administration announced that American seniors 
will face the largest premium increase in Medicare's history. Instead 
of roughly $67, now it is going to go up to $78 a month for their 
Medicare Part B premiums.
  The difference amounts to a huge increase, far exceeding inflation or 
any potential cost-of-living adjustment that our seniors receive under 
Social Security. This adds to the Government Accounting Office just 
last week asking for part of the salary back from the person who 
withheld information from this Congress when we passed the Medicare 
reform bill last year.
  We should not force our seniors to bear the brunt of the increased 
cost of Medicare. The administration's actions will force them to come 
up with an extra $132 a year just to cover the increased premium. For 
the average senior receiving Social Security, this represents 10 
percent of their monthly budget. Unfortunately, if precedent is any 
indicator, seniors will continue to see double-digit Medicare premium 
increases under a second Bush administration.
  It is downright shameful to saddle our seniors with the cost of the 
administration's failed health policies. America's seniors deserve 
better.

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