[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24965]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     SENIORS AND HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mrs. DAHLKEMPER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. DAHLKEMPER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support health care 
reform for our seniors. Our senior citizens deserve reform that will 
lower their medical expenses and provide the highest quality care 
available. Our health care reform legislation closes the prescription 
drug doughnut hole which forces seniors to reduce their prescription 
drug use, that is, not use lifesaving medications, by an average of 14 
percent.
  The House's health care reform legislation will help guarantee our 
seniors access to their doctors by eliminating the 21 percent pay cut 
doctors are facing for Medicare reimbursements. Without this health 
care reform, 40 percent of our doctors say they will have to reduce the 
number of Medicare patients they see. Our seniors deserve better than 
that. They deserve reform that will keep them in good health at a 
manageable cost.
  I urge my colleagues to support quality health care reform for our 
Nation's seniors.

                          ____________________