United States Senate Vice President toseph Ri WASHINGTON, Be 20510 NBS Hea. Bit, First Floor, West Wing Washington, DC 20500 June 3, 2011 Dear Vice President Biden, {thas come to our attention thatthe bipartisan working group you are leading is making considerable progress in identifying ways to reduce the deficit. We are encouraged by the progress being made in these negotiations and stand ready to work with you towards the passage of a responsible deficit reduction package that will set our nation on a healthy fiscal course. But as the working group moves beyond areas of consensus and into parts ofthe budget that will require the toughest choices, we wish to identify in advance one proposal that we cannot support in any form—the House-passed plan to dismantle Medicare As you know, the House-passed budget would end Medicare as we know it by destroying the guaranteed-benefit system and instead requiring seniors to enter the private insurance market. Despite the public’s overwhelming rejection of this proposal, and even afler the Senate vote against it last week, many top congressional leaders are now saying they want the plan included as part of a package to reduce the deficit. ust last week, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan declared that the plan to dismantle Medicare is “part of the debt ceiling talks.” Then on Sunday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell echoed that itis “on the table.” This proposal would never pass Congress on its own, and it does not belong in a larger deal either. It would be devastating for America’s seniors, who would see their out-of-pocket costs for health care double and the benefits they currently enjoy Jeopardized. Under this risky proposal, insurance company bureaucrats would decide what care seniors get. We are aware the administration has rejected this proposal since its passage by the House, and we applaud your efforts to educate the American people about its serious implications, We encourage you to remain unwavering in opposition to this scheme. For the good of the nation’s seniors, it must remain off the table. ‘We share the goal of ensuring the long-term health of Medicare, We hope to identify delivery system reforms and other sources of savings that can extend the life of Medicare in its current form. But we will never allow any effort to dismantle the program and force benefit cuts upon seniors under the guise of deficit reduction. Our nation’s seniors are not responsible forthe fiscal challenges we face, and they should not be responsible for shouldering the burden of reducing our deficits ‘Thank you again for your leadership in these budget talks and for your continued work standing up on behalf of the nation’s seniors. Sincerely, Bill Nelson. Ben Cardin United States Senator for Florida United States Senator for Maryland Sherrod Brown Claire McCaskill Jon Tester United States Senator for Ohio United States Senator for Missouri ited States Senator for Montana