[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 26703]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                        HEALTH REFORM--MEDICARE

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of national comprehensive health care reform for all Americans.
  Since its creation under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, 
Medicare has proved to be one of the great success stories of the 
Federal Government. We want to improve the solvency of the program to 
ensure our seniors today continue to enjoy the program and that our 
children will be able to collect Medicare benefits in the future.
  H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, does not 
endanger traditional Medicare, but it does immediately improve the 
program. Currently, there are 56,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the 29th 
Congressional District in Texas that I represent. H.R. 3962 improves 
their Medicare benefits by providing free preventative and wellness 
care, improving primary and coordinated care, improving nursing home 
quality, and strengthening the Medicare Trust Fund.
  Each year, 4,400 seniors in our district hit the doughnut hole and 
are forced to pay for drug costs despite having part D coverage. This 
legislation will provide these seniors with immediate relief, covering 
the first $500 of doughnut hole costs next year, cutting brand-name 
drug costs in the doughnut hole by 50 percent, and completely 
eliminating the doughnut hole by 2019.
  Mr. Speaker, that's why we need H.R. 3962, to improve health care for 
our seniors and all Americans.

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