Peter Deutsch: “the Republicans have been calling this the Medicare prescription drug legislation. I think it would be more accurately…”

“the Republicans have been calling this the Medicare prescription drug legislation. I think it would be more accurately described as the anti-Medicare prescription drug legislation. Essentially, what this legislation would do is destroy Medicare. That is what it does. It changes the entire concept that Medicare has had for over 30 years in this country of a universal health care system. If one makes more than $12,600, they get nothing. So it is welfare for health. The incredible broad-based political support that we have for Medicare in America would be lost if this plan passes. What it also does is effectively creates a voucher system for anyone above that amount of income. The author of this bill, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, has said that our accusations of saying that this is not part of Medicare are not true. Well, this plan is being created that has nothing to do with Medicare, and calling it Medicare does not make it Medicare. If we put the Transportation Department into Medicare, it still would be the Transportation Department. It would not be Medicare. I urge its defeat.”