On the recordMarch 17, 2010
Nevada has had the fastest growing senior population in the country for the last decade. And even though we have slowed down a little generally, that percentage is expected to continue. So you can imagine what an important issue this is for me. And, like Mr. Garamendi, my mother, too, is on Medicare. So I can't imagine why anybody would think we would want to hurt Medicare benefits when our own mothers are beneficiaries, along with so many other seniors in this country. I share your frustration, because I have had a lady following me around to some of our town hall meetings wearing a T-shirt that says 'I am the grandmother you want to kill.' She believed those early ads about the death panels in the health care bill. So there is an awful lot of misinformation out there that we need to correct, and that is why a discussion like this is so important. Generations of America's seniors have relied on Medicare in their golden years, and we must ensure that it is there for them in the future. This means that we need health reform, health care reform as you have described on your chart there, that strengthens Medicare. Rising health care costs threaten our current Medicare system, and we need to be sure that it remains solvent.
