Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, more than 14 million seniors nationwide depend on Medicare Advantage plans for their health care needs. In two of the counties that I represent in California's Central Valley, over 60,000 seniors are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
The program is an absolute necessity for them because it limits their out-of-pocket expense, protecting them from the threat of bankruptcy due to a complicated and an ongoing medical condition.
The President's massive government overhaul of our health care system has raided $300 million from Medicare Advantage plans and created a health care tax that has just started this year. These payment cuts and the new health insurance tax are already being felt with canceled plans, reduced benefits, and increased co-payments.
There are 33,000 seniors in my county--Stanislaus County--making under $20,000 a year, who are going to be hit with almost $100 per month. They have a right to know when this tax is going to hit them, what the expense is going to be. Seniors on limited incomes should have the right to know, which is why I authored the Seniors' Right to Know Act.