[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 25785-25786]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Ms. FALLIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

[[Page 25786]]

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. FALLIN. Mr. Speaker, one of the groups which is suffering under 
the tough economic times is seniors.
  Some are still working to earn enough money just to make ends meet. 
Some are on fixed incomes, and every slight increase in expenses can 
cause them to experience difficult times.
  That's why I'm very concerned about the Democrats' health care 
proposal to make massive cuts to Medicare Advantage plans, which would 
take benefits away from our senior citizens, even though President 
Obama has promised Americans that, if they like their health care 
plans, they can keep them.
  The Democrats' plan to cut Medicare Advantage will limit choices; it 
will cause seniors to lose their coverage; it will increase 
prescription drug premiums by as much as 20 percent. It will even have 
an exceptionally harmful impact on seniors in rural areas when we try 
to force them into a one-size-fits-all government plan.
  I will not support a health care plan that cuts benefits for millions 
of our seniors, who have worked their entire lives paying into this 
system. We can't ask our seniors on fixed incomes to pay higher costs, 
and we can't force seniors off of their health care plans they choose.
  As a Republican, I am for health care reform, but it's wrong to 
finance health care reform on the backs of our seniors.

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