Steve Israel: “last June I was one of nine Democrats who voted to move Medicare modernization into a House-Senate conference. That bill…”

“last June I was one of nine Democrats who voted to move Medicare modernization into a House-Senate conference. That bill was flawed, but I wanted to give it a chance for bipartisan compromise and improvement. It saddens me that this bill was not improved, Medicare was not modernized; it has been privatized in this bill. I said when I voted for H.R. 1 that if it looked like privatization, if it sounded like privatization, if it felt like privatization, if it smelled like privatization, that I would oppose final passage. This bill sounds, it feels, it smells, it looks, it is privatization; and I have to oppose final passage. Now, some say, well, it is not really privatization; this is just an experiment in six different areas. Do not worry. Mr. Speaker, when you are the guinea pig, you tend to worry. We could have done a much better job with this bill, Mr. Speaker. We could have come up with a bill that Republicans and moderate Democrats could embrace, a bill that protects seniors and does not subvert them. I gave this bill every chance that I could. Tonight this bill robs our seniors of any hope that they have had for true Medicare reform. Medicare should be the Federal Government's obligation to seniors who need the right bill, not a profit center for the special interests who wrote this bill.”