[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26531]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HEALTH CARE AND SENIORS

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, many seniors from my area of south 
Florida are concerned about the $1 trillion Pelosi bill. The Pelosi 
bill is poised to hurt seniors by endangering their Medicare benefits. 
Seniors, after decades and decades of hard work and sacrifice, deserve 
nothing less than the best quality health care that we can provide. Any 
health care reform legislation must not endanger this solemn promise.
  According to CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, the Pelosi plan 
will cut Medicare benefits by $162 billion. The Pelosi bill will force 
seniors to pay up to 20 percent more for their Medicare prescription 
drug coverage. It will also inflict massive cuts on a popular program, 
Medicare Advantage, that will force many seniors out of their current 
coverage. So not only do we take away benefits from our seniors, but we 
will make them pay more for what little they are left with.
  This is not what seniors deserve. Seniors deserve to have their 
Medicare benefits protected. Whatever shape health care reform takes, 
this Chamber must never forget our pledge to our seniors.

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