Debbie Dingell: “Mr. Speaker, three things: One, this is a bad bill. Two, it is not the Senate bill. And, three, it destroys Medicare as…”

“Mr. Speaker, three things: One, this is a bad bill. Two, it is not the Senate bill. And, three, it destroys Medicare as we now know it. And if you do not believe it, take the words of my good friend, the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, who says, ``To those who say this bill would end Medicare as we know it. Our answer is, we certainly hope so. Old-fashioned Medicare isn't very good.'' Well, it is a safety net that has preserved and protected the health and the well-being of Americans for 38 years. It has been a fabulous system for the protection of the health and the welfare of the people. This thought echoes the words of Speaker Gingrich, who wanted Medicare to wither on the vine. Well, it is a fraud upon the American people. It provides very little for most people who are looking for the benefit of receiving prescription pharmaceuticals. What it does is it subsidizes the insurance companies. It does not control prices. It does not stimulate competition. It affords to the senior citizens a situation where they wait 2 years. And after they wait 2 years, what do they get? An enormous donut hole into which they fall after they have spent $2,000, during which period, for a period of about $2,900, they get no additional help from their government, but during which time they have to pay more money, more money, to not draw any benefits.”