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Medicare Guarantee Threatened

Floor Speech

Date: July 20, 2011
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Senior Citizens Unemployed and Low-Income Entitlements and the Safety Net Health and Health Care Government Budget and Spending

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, the Republican bill cuts, caps, and balances all right; cuts Medicare, caps Medicaid, and balances the budget on the backs of our seniors, people with disabilities, and the middle class.

When Willy Sutton was asked why do you rob banks, he said, because that's where the money is.

Asking the elderly and people with disabilities to shoulder the responsibility for our national debt--really? Nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries have income at or below 200 percent of poverty. The median income for seniors is just over $19,000 a year. The Republican proposal will end the Medicare guarantee, double out-of-pocket costs for seniors and people with disabilities, and send them an invoice for $6,000.

Of course we need to address our fiscal challenges, but not by ending Medicare in the process.


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