November 22, 2003— In a vote of 220-215, conservative U.S. Representative Trent Franks voted in favor of the Conference Report to H.R. 1, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act, which passed the House of Representatives early this morning.

“This was an extremely difficult vote, but one that, under the circumstances, was ultimately best for the Nation and will sustain the Medicare program for generations to come. 

“The Democrats were planning to bring the Senate version of the Medicare bill to the House floor by means of a discharge petition.  I believe their votes, along with some liberal Republicans, would have resulted in the passage of a more expensive piece of legislation without essential market reform measures. Although flawed, the bill I voted for is better than the alternative that would have inevitably passed in the wake of its defeat.

“Lyndon B. Johnson once said that Medicare was created for ‘...the enactment of hospital insurance for the aged through Social Security to help older people meet the high costs of illness without jeopardizing their economic independence.’ The efforts of President Bush and of this Congress have been in good faith and motivated by the goal of sowing the seeds of a future revolution in how we deal with matters of health care for our nation’s seniors for generations to come. 

“Within the next decade, the baby boomers will begin to retire.  And, unless we start to implement market reforms within Medicare, the enormous federal debt could reach 10 to 12 trillion dollars. Without additional choices in health care through private enterprise, we are heading down a dangerous road that could cripple our health care system for future generations.