[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 7197-7198]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           MAJORITY'S PLAN FOR MEDICARE IS THE WRONG APPROACH

  (Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, if the majority's plan for 
Medicare ever becomes law, seniors will lose their guaranteed benefit 
and get a private insurance voucher.

[[Page 7198]]

  Seniors are calling. They are nervous and justified in asking all 
sorts of questions about the plan, such as: Will the voucher cover me 
if I get sick? Will the voucher result in rationed care? And will I 
need to pay more out of pocket?
  The Congressional Budget Office says seniors will pay more--much 
more. Out-of-pocket costs to seniors will double in 2022 and rise by 68 
percent by 2030.
  This massive cost shifting saves the Federal Government a lot of 
money. And where does all of the money taken from seniors and Medicare 
go? Well, it doesn't pay off the debt. It doesn't create jobs or help 
folks pay for gas or groceries. But it does go to finance large new tax 
cuts for the most well-off.
  This is the wrong approach to caring for our seniors.

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