Political Quotes

“There's been a lot of discussion in the House about how best to characterize the Republican plan to eliminate Medicare. I want to start with the definition. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of Medicare: a Federal system of health insurance for people over 65 years of age and for certain younger people with disabilities. So, again, a Federal system of health insurance. If you replace a Federal system of health insurance with a Federal system of assistance or a voucher or helping to pay part of the cost, you don't have anything that meets the definition of what we know as Medicare. Maybe they want to call it ``Medi-Assist.'' Maybe they want to call it ``Medi-Voucher.'' Maybe it covers part of the cost of care for some people. Maybe it costs a lot less than it really costs to get health care insurance for others. In fact, according to nonpartisan estimates, the average senior will have to pay $6,000 more for health care by the time the Republican budget is fully implemented. But whatever it is, it ain't Medicare. Medicare is very simple. The American people truly understand what Medicare is. We all have family that rely on Medicare. Lord knows, we need to improve Medicare to help make sure it's sustainable for the next generation. Ending Medicare is not an improvement. ____________________”