William Tauzin: “The status quo the gentlewoman from Connecticut was defending relies upon us deciding one day to raise taxes…”

“The status quo the gentlewoman from Connecticut was defending relies upon us deciding one day to raise taxes dramatically. That is the status quo they are defending. Liberal Democrats have no problem with that. I think most Americans do. To raise the payroll tax sufficient to keep this system out of bankruptcy, we are told, will require a doubling of the payroll tax payments of working Americans by the year 2040. That is how immense the problem is if we do not cure it today. That is their solution. You try to explain that to working Americans who can barely get by on the paycheck today, we are going to double their payroll taxes. That is not going to work. What will work is a system of choice and reform in the Medicare system so that seniors can take advantage of what you and I can take advantage of today, choosing plans that work better for us in a system where cost does count and people are interested in efficiencies and better treatment. I saw an NBC program that centered on a program in Arizona where citizens have the choice there to go to HMO's. They showed some senior citizens telling their story, about how much better care they were getting and how much better treatment they were getting and how much better their lives were under an HMO. They showed New Jersey where Medisave accounts were being used and how citizens there were saying how much it saved them money and really improved their health care system.”