Paul Tonko: “My friends on the other side of the aisle seem steadfast and determined in their attack on access to affordable, quality…”

“My friends on the other side of the aisle seem steadfast and determined in their attack on access to affordable, quality health care. Couple that with their plan to end Medicare, and our Nation's seniors are put in quite a bind. Meanwhile, they want to place our health in the hands of Wall Street and Big Insurance, not between doctors and their patients. The seniors in my district and across the country know that vouchers will not cover their health care needs. They see the tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires and handouts for Big Oil, and are vehemently opposed to this plan. Today, we have yet another assault on affordable access to health care. My Republican colleagues have found their next boogeyman: family practice physicians. This is surprising as we have a dire shortage of primary care physicians in our country. The American Association of Medical Colleges has estimated that an additional 45,000 primary care physicians are required by 2020 just to meet America's health care needs. A few short months ago, both sides of the aisle agreed on the need to build our Nation's primary care workforce. This is a proven way to bend the health care cost curve by decreasing health spending through prevention and early, simple treatment. Unfortunately, Republicans have since changed their tune. They have declared that the problem is not that we have a shortage of these crucial doctors.…”