John Shimkus: “I start a period of time in which we're going to take opportunity to talk about SCHIP. I strike the last word to speak…”

“I start a period of time in which we're going to take opportunity to talk about SCHIP. I strike the last word to speak about the expansion legislation that was pulled from the Energy and Commerce Committee. Reportedly, it will be on the floor later this week, and I would like to highlight the damage it will do, if enacted. Specifically, I'd like to take this opportunity to speak about the very popular Medicare Advantage program. In Illinois, there are 1,715,548 Medicare beneficiaries. Of these, 145,600, or 8 percent, have selected to receive their health care coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, there are over 6,000 Medicare beneficiaries in my district that are currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage program. One of the most troubling things I have heard about the Democrats' bill is actually from Peter Orzag, who is the Director of the Congressional Budget Office. The Director said that under the Democrats' bill, Medicare Advantage enrollment would fall by approximately 8.2 million currently to 5.5 million in 2012, a reduction of 33 percent from current enrollment levels. Medicare beneficiaries are among this Nation's most vulnerable citizens, and access to comprehensive high-quality affordable health care is imperative to their well-being. As we well know, the population of the United States over age 65 is growing rapidly.”