[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27826]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HEALTH CARE REFORM'S IMPACT ON AMERICA'S SENIORS

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, we have heard how reforming our health care 
system will benefit both those with and without coverage. But what does 
reform mean for millions of our seniors? It will mean a stronger and 
more improved Medicare program. More services will be covered under the 
program, including free preventive services. The safety and quality of 
care will also be improved through payment and delivery system reforms 
to encourage better care.
  In addition, reform will bring tighter oversight by creating new 
tools to fight waste, fraud and abuse within Medicare, as well as save 
costs by eliminating gross overpayments. Medicare itself will be 
protected by extending the solvency of the Medicare trust fund by 5 
years.
  Most importantly, our bill will mean lower drug costs for seniors by 
allowing the government to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare 
beneficiaries and by closing the doughnut hole that thousands of 
seniors just in my district alone hit each year.
  Mr. Speaker, security and stability is what reform means for seniors 
and why most recently 63 percent of AARP members support the House 
version of health care reform.

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