On the recordApril 15, 2011
There is no question that the country has to reduce the deficit by restraining spending. That's why we favor having Medicare get the same deal on prescription drugs the VA does--which would save $24 billion a year. But there is a question about the future of Medicare. And today we're going to take a vote. Will Medicare prosper or perish? Will Medicare survive or die? That's the issue before the House today. The fact is the Republican plan puts an insurance company between our seniors and their doctors--and that is wrong. The fact is that the Republican plan does not reduce health care costs. Hospitals will not charge less. Doctors will not charge less. The government will pay less, and seniors will pay more--$6,000 per senior per year. The fact is that this is all being done not to reduce the deficit, but to reduce taxes of the wealthiest people in America. The fact is we should not have this. And the fact is this: We can have an America that doesn't have red ink in its budget but does have Medicare for its seniors. Let's make the choice that our constituents sent us here to make. Yes, let's sensibly reduce spending--as we did yesterday on a bipartisan basis. But this is the wrong time to end Medicare. We will fight this effort, and we will prevail.
