(Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, in order to pay for a government-run health care plan, Democrats obviously plan to cut Medicare. They call it a ``savings,'' but it is cutting essential programs and services that are now available for our seniors.
I'm particularly concerned about the $117 billion in cuts in the Medicare Advantage program. In my district, there are over 20,000 seniors that are enrolled in Medicare Advantage. You cannot expect that they will continue to have the same level of coverage after you cut this program by $117 billion. Hasn't that been the President's promise all this time? If you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance?
My constituents want to keep their insurance coverage through Medicare Advantage. But cutting $117 billion will cause providers to simply exit the Medicare Advantage program, reducing options for these seniors and preventing them from keeping the insurance of their choice.