U.S. Congressman Mike Ross of Prescott today voted against a Republican budget proposal, H. Con. Res. 112, The Republican Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Resolution, that would end the Medicare guarantee. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives and must now be considered by the Senate. The proposal sets federal spending levels for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2012.
"We need to cut spending, but I will not vote for any budget that punishes seniors in the process," said Ross. "The Republican Budget shifts the rising costs of health care onto the backs of our seniors who did nothing to get us into this mess in the first place. When the Republicans tried to privatize Medicare last year with their budget proposal and when they tried to partially privatize Social Security under President Bush, I fought them every step of the way because Social Security and Medicare are valuable programs that keep half of all seniors out of poverty. Now that the Republicans are coming after Medicare again, I will continue to fight their efforts."
The Republican Budget fundamentally privatizes Medicare, transforming it from a guaranteed benefit program into a voucher program. Under this program, rather than having guaranteed coverage of benefits, seniors would receive a voucher and would need to use that voucher to purchase insurance. While health care costs continue to rise, the payments for these vouchers would be capped, forcing seniors to pay more and more for health care. In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts the voucher plan could increase out of pocket costs for seniors by $5,900 and lead to diminished access to quality care.
"Deficit spending must be stopped, but it should be done in a way that protects our seniors," said Ross. "These vouchers will force seniors to buy health insurance when, because of their age, it is often very difficult for the elderly to find insurance that is both affordable and adequate. That's exactly why Medicare was created and why it must be preserved -- so that seniors can live long, healthy lives. The American people deserve a serious and honest conversation about our budget, not more partisan proposals that put politics before our seniors."
Ross also said the Republican Budget will actually continue to add to the national debt.
"The Republican Budget ignores our nation's fundamental and long-term deficit spending problem. In fact, the Republican Budget doesn't balance the budget until 2040, and accumulates more than $3 trillion in debt over the next ten years," said Ross. "We need a bipartisan, commonsense budget proposal that stops deficit spending and is fair to our seniors."