[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9460]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICARE

  (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, a close examination shows the changes 
that our Republican colleagues are proposing to Medicare would actually 
make things much worse, not better. To begin with, the Republican 
proposal would add to the program's cost. Privatizing Medicare would 
cost 11 percent more than it would for providing exactly the same 
services under the current Medicare plan. And the additional cost for 
going private would just widen over time.
  According to the nonpartisan politifact.org, under the Republican 
plan, those just becoming eligible for Medicare, those 55 years old and 
under 10 years from now, would have to pay a whopping $6,400 more per 
year than they would under the current plan.
  This kind of foreseeable increase in costs actually works just like a 
tax aimed squarely at our retiring seniors. The Republican plan would 
be a disaster for our seniors and our economy.

                          ____________________