Political Quotes

“I am here today to say that Senator Bennet from Colorado and myself are introducing a bill that mirrors what has been introduced in the House by Representative Cooper from Tennessee and Paul Ryan from Wisconsin. I have tremendous faith in the American people. I believe when the American people are given facts and transparency, they make good decisions. They help us here in Washington make good decisions when I think they have the information they need. A lot of Americans are very aware of some of the dilemmas we face here in Washington regarding Medicare. But I do not think many Americans are fully aware of the dilemma we face. I think they are aware that the trustees for Medicare have said that in the year 2024 Medicare is going to become insolvent. But I do not think they are aware of the math. Actually I was not aware of the math until we began to look at how we solve the problem. According to a recent study, the average American couple each earning $43,500 a year will pay $119,000 into the Medicare Program over their lifetime. This contribution includes the portion that their employer pays on their behalf. In other words, the family pays in half, the employer pays in half. In 2011 dollars, that means if you paid in 30 years ago, and that money was inflated to today's dollars, that family would have paid in $119,000 over their lifetime. What most Americans do not know is that over their lifetime, the average family takes $357,000 out of Medicare.…”