Senate Proceeding on Oct 7th, 2009 :: 0:08:20 to 0:15:40
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0:08:16 to 0:08:37( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: the first half and the reblicans controlling the final half. a senator: mr. president? senator from washington is recognized. mrs. murray: mr. president, i have been some of the claims i've heard about health insurance reform legislation that we've been working on here in the senate. when i spoke out here on the floor earlier this july, i said

0:08:20 to 0:15:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Patty Murray

0:08:38 to 0:08:58( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: that all you had to do was look at a newspaper or turn on cable news to see that the rhetoric on health insurance reform was heating up. unfortunately, as is often the case, the the debate hasn't gotten anyetter, but it certainly has gotten louder. now, i know there is a lot of concern out there and there is a lot of bad i around.

0:08:59 to 0:09:20( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: the latest outrageous claim about reform is that it would hurtmerica's seniors. well, mr. president, i'm here today to tell our seniors and their families that claim is false. and i want to make this perfectly clear. we are not proposing here in the senate to cut medicare benefits

0:09:21 to 0:09:42( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: or to do anything to negatively affect the health of those who are receiving medicare. mr. president, when you hear rumors about how reform will affect seniors, conside source. just listen to some of inflammatory quotes. a republican member of the house of representatives said "let me tell you here and now, it's socialized medicine."

0:09:43 to 0:10:03( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: another republican congressman said "we cannot stand idly by embark on an ill conceived adventure in government medicine, the end of which no one can see and from which the patient is certain to be the ultimate sufferer." those are not quotes about current health insurance reform

0:10:04 to 0:10:24( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: effort. those statements were made 1965 when republicans were opposing the establishment of medicare. and their position has not changed. republicans medicare almost 60 times in the last 10 years. and now all of a sudden republicans are blaming that

0:10:25 to 0:10:45( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: democrats support cutting medicare benefits. mr. president, that's why last sunday "the new york times" said that republicans are -- quote -- "obscuring and twisting the facts and fear." scoring cheap political points doesn't do anything at all to help americans get affordable health insurance.

0:10:46 to 0:11:06( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: our families, and especially our seniors, deserve better. you don't have to go back too far to this senate's history on that subject. just last year democrats overcame a republican filibuster and a veto by then president bush to pass the medicare improvement for patients and providers act.

0:11:07 to 0:11:27( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: th from suffering cuts in the rate at which medicare reimburses them for providing care to seniors. if those cuts had happened, many doctors would have bee forced to stop treating patients with medicare. severely limiting seniors' -- seniors access to medicare. democrats wanted to make sure

0:11:28 to 0:11:48( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: there were enough doctors to go around and we did. that bill also made commonsense fireworkses to medicare -- fixes to medicare, lowering seniors

0:11:49 to 0:12:09( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: co-payments and providing ogen equipment and wheelchairs. that bill was not controversial, it was v when senate had a chance to pass the bill over that veto, it was only republicans, 60% of those in the senate, who sided with president bush and said no to those seniors.

0:12:10 to 0:12:33( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: actions speak louder than words don't be fooled when republicans say that democrats don't want to protect medicare or that health insurance reform the won't be good for seniors. the truth is, mr. president, is that the democratic proposal will help our seniors get the medical coverage they need and earned. this will come as no surprise to anyone. democrats have had a long

0:12:34 to 0:12:54( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: history of working to improve the health of seniors. democrats created medicare over the objections of republicans because we recognize that no american should health care, especially once they reach retirement age. and the american people know it has been democrats who have been protecting medicare for seniors since we created the program 44

0:12:55 to 0:13:19( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: years ago. and nothing has changed. today it is still democrats who are fighting for better, more affordable health care for everyone, especially our seniors. so specifically our plan moves towards closing that doughnut hole in prescription drug coverage and providing access to more affordable generic

0:13:20 to 0:13:40( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: you have medicare, our plan makes services like mammograms free. it will ensure if you have medicare, you get a free physical every yea not just when you enroll in the program. and our plan will attack the fraud and abuse that raises medicare costs for seniors an all of us as taxpayers. mr. president, one thing too

0:13:41 to 0:14:01( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: often missing from this discussion is what will happen to medicare if there is no reform. it is now projected that early as 2017 if we do not make changes, the money medicare spends on benefits an services will -- and services will be greater than its income. at that point seniors would have

0:14:02 to 0:14:23( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: to pay a greater portion of their health car receive fewer medicare benefits. that's unacctable. our current system is unsustainable. and that is one of the reasons that nonpartisan aarp supports reform this year. they know, like we do, that we seniors over both the short term

0:14:24 to 0:14:44( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: and the long term. and our plan will prevent cost increases an overpayments to -- and overpayments to insurance companies to keep medicare out of the red. mr. president, now is the time to let me be clear, under the republicans' plan, insurance companies can dump you for a preexisting condition, because

0:14:45 to 0:15:05( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: you're a woman, because you're getting older, because you get sick and medicare will face bankruptcy. under our plan, if youik you have, you keep it. if you don't, we're going to provide affordable choices for you. we are going to protect medicare. we will not raise taxes o the middle class and we will not add a dime to the deficit.

0:15:06 to 0:15:27( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: mr. president, every day 14,000 more americans insurance. that has to stop. but but this is not just about those who don't have coverage. the cost of the treatment for the uninsured is passed on to every taxpayer. it's estimated that a family of four pays a hidden tax every year in premiums to help

0:15:28 to 0:15:40( Edit History Discussion )

Patty Murray: pay for those who don't have coverage. so we will help remove that burden from all of our working families. we will provide stability and choice to our families and to our businesses. we will return health care decisions back where the