María Elvira Salazar: “The one thing we have always agreed on is that the goal of the Medicare Program is to provide affordable, high quality…”

“The one thing we have always agreed on is that the goal of the Medicare Program is to provide affordable, high quality health care to our Nation's seniors. The Baucus bill is the only option that does that, with nearly $4 billion in beneficiary improvements. The Baucus bill also addresses one of the biggest concerns of Medicare Advantage, the lack of reliable networks for private fee-for-service plans. By requiring private fee-for-service plans to have a written contract with providers, this bill makes sure patients have access to the providers they are promised, and doctors will get paid for the services they provide. For nearly 40 years, patients have relied on Medicare, knowing that they would not fall through the cracks. We must continue to protect the integrity of Medicare's good name by swiftly addressing inadequacies. The Baucus bill will do just that. Too much is at stake to let this bill get stuck in the politics of obstructionism. For Medicare patients, for their doctors, for parents, kids, soldiers, and servicemembers' families, we need to get this done before the June 30 deadline.”