[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4365]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICARE

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, imagine you come to a fork in the road. You 
look on your GPS, and you see that the path to the left leads to an old 
bridge that is falling into the river. The path on the right leads to a 
brand-new bridge that is guaranteed to get your car over the river. 
Obviously, everyone would go over the new bridge.
  Mr. Speaker, when it comes to Medicare, we have a GPS provided to us 
by the Medicare trustees. They clearly say that if we stay on the same 
road, Medicare will be broke by 2024. Republicans want to provide a new 
bridge that protects and preserves the program for current and future 
retirees, a program that gives future seniors the option to stay in 
traditional Medicare or to choose a new plan that best fits their 
needs.
  Unlike current Medicare, the Republican plan provides greater 
benefits for low-income and sick seniors and requires more from wealthy 
seniors. The Medicare trustees have put up a bright orange sign saying: 
``Bridge Out Ahead.'' We can either heed their warnings and turn down a 
new path or plow right through and end up in the river.

                          ____________________