Ellison Leads Progressives in Halting House Action to Highlight the Republican Plan to End Medicare

Press Release

Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) today led members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in a "mini-filibuster" on the U.S. House floor to expose the Republican budget plan to privatize Medicare.

Congressman Ellison and Members of the Progressive Caucus took to the floor during the debate of H.R. 1216, which would undermine funding for the Teaching Health Center program. This program trains primary care physicians that support community health centers -- including 31 in the Fifth District of Minnesota -- to meet the health care needs of underserved populations.

"Senior Citizens in my district are outraged at the Republican plan to repeal the guarantee of Medicare and replace it with a flimsy voucher system that will leave far too many Minnesotans without the full health coverage they've earned and deserve," Ellison said. "Today's bill is just a first step in the assault on expanded healthcare for all Americans and you can be sure the end goal is to end Medicare as we know it."

The Teaching Health Center program is a crucial part of efforts in the Affordable Care Act approved last year that increases the number of primary care physicians nationwide. Public health experts estimate that the U.S. will need 39,000 to 45,000 more primary care physicians.

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