[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5872]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1220
                             SAVE MEDICARE

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Before Medicare, 25 percent of the seniors in America 
lived in poverty, many driven there by the lack of affordable, decent 
health insurance. Medicare passed with virtually no Republican support. 
It solved that problem. Seniors today are guaranteed quality, 
affordable health care. They pay about 27 percent of the cost.
  While under the guise of fiscal responsibility, the Republican budget 
wants to turn back the clock to the good old days. Throw the seniors 
into the private health care market again. And the estimates are 
seniors would have to pay 68 percent of their health care costs under 
the Republican plan. That would drive many into poverty.
  It's opening day of the 2012 fiscal budget year, and President Obama 
has a chance to hit the first pitch out of the park by declaring 
Medicare will not end during his Presidency, on his watch. He won't 
stick it to seniors. He's going to stand up for seniors.

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