Jack Kingston: “Let me just conclude with what some of the options are that we are looking at, because I think it is important that our…”

“Let me just conclude with what some of the options are that we are looking at, because I think it is important that our seniors know that we want to have reform plans that will simplify and strengthen Medicare, and yet give them all of the choices that they deserve, and one of them would be to keep the current Medicare plan that they are under. The other one is a coordinated benefit plan. Mr. Speaker, another possible option is an employer association Medicare plan, because currently if someone is 65, they are forced off the private sector insurance, but they may want to keep it, and they may want to stay on their employer's plan. We want to give seniors that option. Then there is the medical savings account, which would give seniors the right to save money and pocket the difference at the end of the year on what they save on their own health care costs. We, under these plans, are projecting a spending increase of about $1,900 per person, going roughly from $4,816 per person to $6,734 over this time period to the year 2002, a 7-year time period. Mr. Speaker, this is not a Medicare cut. We keep hearing from the hide-their-head-in-the-sand Members of Congress that we are trying to cut Medicare. This is not a cut. Now I know Washington DC math does funny tricks, but this is not a cut. So to conclude, we want to simplify Medicare, we want to say that we want to strengthen it.”