Medicare Privatization Bill--End Of Guaranteed Health Care For Seniors
The following is a press release from November 21, 2003, by Kucinich's office in Congress
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Kucinich: Medicare Privatization Bill - End Of Guaranteed Health Care For Seniors
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich issued the following statement this evening on the Republican Medicare privatization bill:
“This so-called Medicare ‘reform’ bill is nothing but a sham. This bill is the beginning of the end of guaranteed healthcare for seniors. Since Medicare was enacted in 1965, seniors went from a group least likely to have health insurance to most likely to have health insurance because of Medicare. Medicare has achieved goals that Congress has not been able to accomplish for the rest of our population by keeping millions out of poverty, increasing access to health care, improving quality of life and even extending life expectancy by 20 percent.
“This bill will eliminate guaranteed healthcare for the only part of our population that has it. It will lead to benefit cuts by the creation of an artificial cap on Medicare spending. It will increase costs for millions of seniors. It will privatize Medicare in order to dismantle it. It will take us back to the fifties. Our nation, and this Congress, must move forward, not backward, to improve Medicare, not tear it apart.
“Since Republicans have taken over Congress they have made their intentions clear on Medicare. Leading Republicans stated all the way back in 1995 that Medicare will, ‘wither on the vine’. This evening, those who wish to dismantle Medicare will get their wish.
“Medicare privatization is bad for seniors, bad for retirees, bad for employers, and bad for the economy. The only ones who benefit from this plan are the pharmaceutical companies and HMOs who seek to continue health care for profit in this country.”
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