[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1596]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    BUSH BUDGET AND HEALTH CARE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES AND MISPLACED 
                               PRIORITIES

  (Mr. ELLISON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, at a time when more and more Americans are 
struggling to obtain affordable health care, the President's budget 
drastically slashes health care for seniors and low-income working 
Americans.
  Today, 36 million seniors get health care coverage through Medicare. 
The President's budget takes a swipe at their pocketbooks by proposing 
to save nearly $6 billion by increasing the monthly premiums that 
seniors pay.
  If the President was concerned about seniors, he would instead go 
after the vast overpayments made by Medicare to private managed care 
plans. Instead, he has raised premiums on our seniors and focused his 
cuts on our Nation's hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other 
health care providers. The President also cuts Medicaid by $33 billion 
over the next 5 years.
  Today, Medicaid serves 55 million low-income and disabled Americans. 
Such cuts force cash-strapped States to either reduce benefits or cut 
provider payments.
  Mr. Speaker, as our economy continues to face uncertain times, this 
is the worst time for the President to promote drastic cuts in Medicare 
and Medicaid.
  Rest assured, the Democrats would not allow these cuts to become law. 
These provisions are as good as dead as they come to Capitol Hill.

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