Steven Holt: “for forty years, the federal government has kept a promise to our nation's seniors. That promise is called Medicare, and…”

“for forty years, the federal government has kept a promise to our nation's seniors. That promise is called Medicare, and it means that every senior will receive affordable, reliable health care in their later years. Four years ago, I came to this Congress having made a promise to the seniors in my Congressional district--that I would work to bring Medicare into the twenty-first century by including coverage for prescription drugs. Coverage that, like the original Medicare program, is comprehensive, voluntary, universal, and reliable--without hampering the innovation that has brought us so many miraculous drugs over the past few decades. Today I am voting to keep that promise by opposing a bill that would undermine the Medicare program itself. H.R. 1 purports to offer seniors coverage for the prescription drugs they rely on every day. Unfortunately, it falls far short when held up to the spirit and practice of Medicare. The most distressing aspect of this bill, to me, to my constituents, and to the AARP, is that it takes the entire Medicare program down a short road to privatization.”