Political Quotes

“the level of Medicare and Medicaid cuts would gut health care for the elderly and the poor leading to rationing of health care to those people to whom we promised health security: $400 billion over 7 years; that is a breathtaking amount. That will mean cuts in Medicaid for the frail, elderly, and nursing homes, leaving them to languish there without care, if they are lucky enough to get into a nursing home at all. Community, at-home-nursing services will be cut, denying them that assistance as well. Hundreds of hospitals and clinics will be forced to close because they will not be able to afford care to the newly under-insured as well as all the uninsured of which there are 42 million in this country, a problem the Republicans even refuse to acknowledge exists. Doctors will turn Medicare patients away as their payment levels to them start resembling those for Medicaid, and greater costs will be borne for the elderly who live on fixed incomes, many of whom will be pushed below the poverty line. Mr. Speaker, this budget is cruel, it's cynical, and it's mean.”