Joe Baca: “I rise in opposition of the Republican Conference Report on H.R. 1. I oppose this Republican plan because it is bad for…”

“I rise in opposition of the Republican Conference Report on H.R. 1. I oppose this Republican plan because it is bad for seniors. It's bad for California. And it's simply bad for the American people. There are 40 million seniors across this Nation that need a safe and reliable healthcare plan that protects them, whether they are sick or not. This plan will not help seniors. This is a $400 billion plan that will privatize care and cost seniors more than they pay now. This plan is similar to having car insurance that doesn't really protect you. You're fine as long as you don't get into an accident. Seniors are only fine under this plan if they don't get sick. But because of privatization, when a senior gets sick, this plan offers no guarantee that their premium will stay the same or that their carrier will continue to cover them. Under Medicare, seniors at least had a guarantee that they would be insured. They at least had a guarantee that if they got sick; someone would be looking out for them. Under this plan, privatization could force as many as 7 million seniors into HMO's. Seven million. How is this fixing Medicare? Who is this guaranteeing that all seniors have coverage? Our parents and grandparents deserve better. They do not need privatization. They need to know they are going to be insured. They need to know that they are going to be protected despite the cost.”