[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16483-16484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         MEDICARE BUY-IN OPTION

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, Medicare is the best public 
option that already exists to improve the Affordable Care Act and to 
provide immediate relief to Americans on the individual market.
  Next week, the Nation's State insurance commissioners will make 
public insurers' price gouging increases for next year, including a 60 
percent increase in Georgia, a 50 percent increase in Florida, and the 
remaining States up to a 50 percent 1-year increase.
  A Medicare buy-in option for younger Americans is the only hedge 
against these price spikes that every American will look to Congress 
for relief from. Congress has been negligent in their 7-year near 
obsession with repeal and replace. You can no longer blame ObamaCare.

[[Page 16484]]

  Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member of Congress to support the Medicare 
Buy-in and Healthcare Stabilization Act and Medicare X legislation. It 
is time to unleash the market power of Medicare to lower costs, improve 
quality, and push back on private insurers' aggressive pricing.

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