Frank Pallone: “I feel very strongly that myself, the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. DeLauro], the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr.…”

“I feel very strongly that myself, the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. DeLauro], the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Klink] and others that are going to be joining us here tonight, Democrats, spent a lot of time last year as well as this year as part of basically an effort to try to make the point, and I believe successfully made the point that the Republican leadership in this Congress was trying to destroy Medicare as we know it. Democrats basically started Medicare over 30 years ago, Democratic Presidents, Democratic Congresses, because they were concerned that so many senior citizens did not have health care, either were not able to afford health insurance or found themselves unable to obtain health insurance as they became senior citizens. Over the last 30 years, Medicare has been very successful as a program in guaranteeing that almost all, almost 100 percent of the senior citizens in this country get health care and get good health care.”