text: Yesterday, speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, I shared a story that is close to my heart. A few years ago, my 96 year old mother was diagnosed with an aneurysm close to her heart. Due to her advanced age, the doctors believed that surgery was too risky. A few years later that aneurysm got worse, endangering her life. She was re-evaluated, and the doctors concluded that she would not survive without surgery.  Putting her faith in her doctors, in our healthcare system and in her god, she chose to have the surgery. Fortunately she made a full recovery. However, none of this would have been possible without Medicare. My mother worked her entire life as a domestic worker, and did not have a private pension or any option other than Medicare. As Congressional Republicans look for an easy way out on these issues, it is people like my mother who are left behind. This is a personal issue to me and the millions of American families with similar stories.  Republicans have tried for years to destroy Medicare by turning it in to a voucher program. They would break the promise we made to our nationÛªs seniors, that if they worked hard they would be taken care of in their old age. Medicare is the most efficient health plan in our country, boasting an overhead of only 2%. The problem isnÛªt Medicare; itÛªs the rising cost of healthcare.   One major reason our healthcare costs keep going up is because we have not changed the way patients and doctors see each other. We must be innovative and creative in tackling the cost of healthcare. As the Representative of Silicon Valley, I have led the way in this by promoting innovative technologies such a telemedicine, personal health connected devices, and other tools. I will be reintroducing the Healthcare Innovation and Marketplace Technologies Act later this year to continue this effort. Most importantly, however, I will continue to stand with my friends here in the Congress to protect Medicare and the Medicare guarantee.