Quico Canseco Wants to Turn Medicare into a Coupon Book

Statement

Millions of seniors rely on Medicare for health care. Yet Congressman Quico Canseco voted twice to turn Medicare into a voucher system. The voucher system is a central component of the Ryan budget that Quico Canseco supports. The Ryan budget ends Medicare as we know it, increases healthcare costs for seniors by $6,400, but at the same time gives millionaires a $265,000 tax break.

"Congressman Canseco has the wrong priorities," said Gallego for Congress spokeswoman Rebecca Acuna. "Quico voted twice to turn Medicare into a voucher program. He voted to essentially take away health care from seniors and instead give them a coupon that wouldn't fully cover their health insurance costs."

More than 3 million Texans rely on Medicare for their health care. Across the country, 3.3 million Latinos depend on Medicare. The Ryan budget ends Medicare and replaces it with an inadequate voucher to buy private insurance. The voucher system would leave seniors to negotiate in the open market with insurance companies, with a coupon that would not fully cover the insurance policy.

"Our parents and grandparents should not be given vouchers and forced to negotiate with the insurance industry on their own. Medicare needs to be reformed and strengthened for future generations," said Rep. Pete Gallego. "In Congress, I'll make sure Medicare works and fight efforts by extremists to end it or turn it into a voucher program. Seniors shouldn`t be asked to sacrifice their health while corporations that ship jobs overseas are protected. That`s way too high a price for people who have built our nation and paid their dues."

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