WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said Wednesday that proposed cuts to Medicare in health care bills are scaring seniors.

"Medicare is very important to about 40 million Americans and to a lot of other Americans who are about to be of the age to depend on Medicare," Alexander said in a Senate speech.

He charged, "Here is what all of the plans that we've seen so far from the Democratic side proposed to do: take about a half-trillion dollars over 10 years from Medicare.

"In other words, cut Medicare by a half-trillion dollars, not to put in the Medicare program to make it solvent, but to start a big, new entitlement program called government-run health insurance."

"We want to know two things about this health care bill by the time it gets to us. We want to be able to read it, and we want to know what it costs," Alexander said.

"And what that means is, it should go up on the Internet for at least 72 hours, the complete text -- that's what the letter from the Democratic senators, as well as Senator [Jim] Bunning in the amendment he offered, said."

Alexander continued, "And we want a complete formal estimate from the Congressional Budget Office about what the bill costs, because the American people are significantly worried about health care reform.

"It is supposed to reduce costs, reduce your premiums, reduce your government's debt, but, instead, everything that we've heard about it so far makes it look like it's more likely to increase the cost of your premiums and to increase your taxes.

"One thing we know for sure is that it will cut your Medicare."

The Tennessee senator added, "We wait with great interest to see what bill the Senate Majority Leader will bring from behind his closed doors -- when he takes the 1,500-page Finance Committee bill and the nearly 900-page Health Committee bill here in the Senate and puts them together, I assume, with the 2,000-page bill in the House."

All of these bills depend on cutting Medicare for about half their costs, Alexander noted.

"Any reductions in Medicare, any savings in Medicare, any elimination of waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, should go to Medicare. We shouldn't be cutting grandma's Medicare to spend money on someone else. We ought to save money on grandma's Medicare to spend on grandma, because grandma's Medicare is going broke."

"Republicans aren't scaring seniors about Medicare; these bills are scaring seniors about Medicare, and they are right to be worried."

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor, "Our job as legislators is to write and pass a bill that will make it easier for every American family to afford to live a healthy life. Democrats have worked tirelessly over the past weeks, months and even years to fulfill this great responsibility.

"We have listened to the vast majority of Americans who demand that we stop health insurance companies from taking advantage of them.

"We have listened to the vast majority of Americans who know that a public option for health insurance is the best way to keep competition up, keep costs down and keep insurance companies honest."

Reid also said, "We are closer than ever before to making sure every American can access quality, affordable health care -- and making sure they have the choice of whether they get that care through their private insurer or a public one."

"It is important to understand where we are in this process: Right now, we are merging those two bills into one. That work is ongoing, and many different options are being weighed.

"The Congressional Budget Office is analyzing those options, and based on their analysis, we will decide what to put into a bill."

Reid continued, "Those who demand to see the bill right this minute forget that a final bill does not yet exist. If it did, we'd bring it to the floor.

"All should remember that as soon as the CBO results are in -- and as soon as important decisions are made based on those results - we have pledged to make the final bill available to the full Senate and the American people.

"The final bill will be public as soon as it is written. I'll repeat that so there is no confusion: The final bill will be public as soon as it is written."

"Only one final decision has been made so far: We are going to give people the power of deciding whether they want to get their health insurance from somewhere other than the reckless private companies that are responsible for the mess we're in.

"And we are going to give the states the power of deciding whether that choice is best for their citizens."