Lizzie Fletcher: “it is truly a privilege to be here this evening representing the leadership, the Republican leadership, on a very, very…”

“it is truly a privilege to be here this evening representing the leadership, the Republican leadership, on a very, very critical issue. Let me go back in time just briefly and look at when Medicare was first developed. We know that has been one of the most successful programs for our seniors, for their retirement security, for their health. Certainly it has been extremely successful. But since that time, medicine has changed tremendously. It has moved from a system that primarily was focused on acute care. In other words, if you had a problem, if you had a disease diagnosed, if you needed surgery, you went to the hospital, to the physician, and that was cared for. It was acute care. Medicine has transitioned tremendously since we first established Medicare. Medicare needs to be enhanced and improved and strengthened to meet those changes. Now, the Republican Party has already, over the last few years, certainly begun that change as we have increased some of the efforts toward diagnosis of early disease and screening of disease, and also on prevention, particularly in areas like diabetes, which certainly represents a tremendous problem in this Nation.”