On May 3rd, 2011 Congressman John Garamendi defended Medicare from Republican attempts to end the program.
Transcript: Let's be very clear about this. The Republican proposal, the Republican budget proposal that is before this Congress, terminates Medicare as we have had it since 1965. For those young men and women who are not yet 55, they will never see Medicare. It's over.
And instead of having Medicare, which is a guaranteed health insurance program, when they retire at the age of 65, they will be given a voucher that will be worth a percentage of what the insurance will cost.
They will be thrown into the market at an age where they have preexisting conditions, and under the Republican proposal, there are no ways they are going to be protected from the insurance companies, who we know have one motive, and that's profits before people. (Will you yield?)
Profit before people [Will the gentlemen yield?] has been the way it has been for the insurance companies from the get go, and that's precisely what the Republicans want to give us. We will not have it. [Will the gentleman yield?]
And while they're at it, they want to take those reductions in your expenditures and continue giving money to the most wealthy people in America. [Will the gentleman yield?] I will not yield. So that the most wealthy people in America can continue to enjoy ever more wealth while the middle class enjoys ever more poverty. It is an abomination and there is no way this nation should abandon a proven program that for 42 years has provided quality medical care to the seniors.
Now if you want to go after the cost of medicine, then let's go after the overall cost of medicine -- not denying tomorrow's seniors the benefit of Medicare. It is time to understand precisely what the Republican budget does. It terminates Medicare while giving benefits to the most wealthy Americans. It should not happen. I yield back my time.

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