Ami Bera: “Thank you, Dr. Ruiz. I urge Americans to share their stories. I urge them to share the importance of Medicare and how…”

“Thank you, Dr. Ruiz. I urge Americans to share their stories. I urge them to share the importance of Medicare and how they rely on it. Share the stories about your parents and grandparents. I urge the Members of this body to share their stories. We all have parents and grandparents. We all care about this program, and we all have stories to tell. Just today, in my office, I had a colorectal cancer survivor come to visit. She talked about how her cancer was diagnosed early because she was able to go get a colonoscopy--because she was able to get the preventive care services that were necessary. She would not have been able to do that had she not had access to Medicare, had she not had access to basic cancer prevention. That is what's at stake here--making sure that our seniors, that our parents and grandparents, have access to that care when they need it the most. That's why I'm on the floor here today, because we have to protect Medicare--a program that has worked for decades. It is a program that we rely on, so I want to hear your stories about how we protect Medicare and make sure it's there for generations. This is a program that has worked time and time again. Let me even share another story of patients that I've taken care of. I've taken care of hundreds of men and women who do physical labor-- construction workers, folks who get up every morning and go to work. They don't make a lot of money, but they pay into a system.…”