WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today made the following statement on the House floor regarding Republicans’ “deem and pass" rule that reaffirms their commitment to end Medicare:
“This is indeed an open rule. In the sense it's so open that if you vote for the rule you're voting to end Medicare. Republicans have done this once. If you vote for this you're going to do it twice. And the gentleman who is handling this for the majority earlier talked about Medicare and said the Republicans are trying to save it. You don't save something by ending it -- purely and simply. And to come to this floor and say you're saving it when you're ending it -- that kind of talk is a big lie.
“We heard this with Social Security some years ago, when the effort to privatize it was said to be an effort to save it. The public caught on and the public said no. The public has now said no to ending Medicare, but essentially you're tone deaf. Now you're doubling down on your plan to end it, a plan that would force seniors to pay twice as much for their health care, a plan that increases seniors' drug costs and a plan that puts insurance companies in charge of senior health care.
“So, instead of a bipartisan effort to save it, by this rule you are essentially deeming the budget that you passed that ended Medicare. So don't come and say you're saviors when you are eliminating a program. Stand up and be honest and say you want to replace it with something else. That something else is not Medicare, it's turning over to the private insurance industry and saying to seniors who become eligible, who would be, instead you are going to double your costs. That's not forthright. If you vote again, if you vote yes on the rule, you are the second time voting to end Medicare. I yield back."
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