[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25791]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, if you like your current 
plan, it had better not be Medicare Advantage because the Democrat 
health plan proposal cuts $162 billion from that program for our 
seniors. The reason is twofold; they need cuts to pay for their new 
government-run health care program and they think insurers in the 
program are overpaid by 14 percent. Tell that to the 25 percent of 
seniors who are enrolled in the program nationwide. I guess they 
weren't included in the folks who can ``keep their plan if they like 
it.''
  Perhaps the Democrats didn't look at the plus side of Medicare 
Advantage. Studies show that those in the program spend fewer days in 
the hospital and experience fewer readmissions. A study in California 
showed that those enrolled in Advantage plans spent 30 percent fewer 
days in the hospital and were 15 percent less likely to be readmitted 
to the hospital. I would say that accounts for a huge savings.
  The Congressional Budget Office also says the Democrats' health care 
plan would increase seniors' Medicare prescription drug premiums by 20 
percent over the next decade. I thought reform was supposed to be 
improvements, not a plan to soak our seniors.

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