[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 25236-25237]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     MISREPRESENTATIONS ON MEDICARE

  (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ANDREWS. Well, it's been 126 days and the minority party's not 
given us their plan for health care. What they have given America's 
seniors is a lot of misrepresentations on

[[Page 25237]]

Medicare. This bill does not cut Medicare benefits for seniors. It cuts 
corporate welfare for insurance companies. There is a program called 
Medicare Advantage, and it's an advantage for the insurance industry 
because it works like this: for every $100 that we spend on regular 
Medicare to take care of seniors, insurance companies get $114. They 
keep most of that $14, if not all of it, and do not use it to help 
seniors. We're getting rid of that and I think that makes sense.
  This bill will work in favor of seniors on Medicare because when you 
go to the doctor for preventive care if you're a senior on Medicare, no 
more copay, no more out of your pocket. Medicare pays it all. The cost 
of your prescription drugs will drop, and Medicare benefits will be 
strengthened. The life of the Medicare trust fund will be extended by 5 
years.
  So after 126 days, you'd think they'd come up with something, but 
what they've come up with is more misrepresentation.

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