[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5043]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        MEDICARE TRUSTEES REPORT

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, the Medicare trustees have reported that 
the Medicare trust fund is in trouble. Imagine what would happen if the 
Democrat minority had successfully passed their bill. The reforms that 
we passed to preserve the life of the Medicare system would have 
disappeared and the trillion-dollar-plus price tag of the Democratic 
bill would have ended Medicare as we know it. We would have no choice 
but to make painful cuts or increase taxes to pay for the Democrats' 
Medicare bill.
  The irony is that now that we are so close to finally implementing 
the law and finally getting cheaper prescription drug benefits for 
seniors, the Democrats want to repeal it. What we should do, Mr. 
Speaker, is not take away the prescription drug coverage for American 
seniors, but rather we should try to improve upon it, modify it and 
eventually make it fiscally responsible and highly workable.

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