On the recordMarch 21, 2012
But both competition and choice already exist in the Medicare program. {time} 1620 Of beneficiaries, 99.7 percent have access to at least one Medicare Advantage plan, and in the majority of counties, they have an average of 26 private plans to choose from. In spite of all these choices, about 75 percent of all seniors still choose to remain in traditional Medicare. The Republican budget, released just yesterday, paints a clear picture of their priorities, showing once again they stand for ending the Medicare guarantee, shifting ever-increasing costs on to our seniors and repealing all of the Affordable Care Act's patient protections. I stand behind the cost-containment provisions, the delivery-system reforms, the improvement to Medicare, and the new benefits and protections that were enacted under health reform. And I stand with my fellow Democrats and America's seniors in support of preserving the Medicare guarantee and ensuring that Medicare remains available and affordable for generations to come. I appreciate the ranking member's leadership on this issue and all of those who were critically responsible in ensuring that Americans have access to affordable quality health care.
