We need a strong bill that protects all Americans and all plans.

We can work together on a plan that's affordable, dependable, and available to all older Americans.

More than three in five American seniors today lack affordable and dependable prescription drug coverage.

Rising drug prices are eating away at financial independence.

I believe that Mike Forbes became a Democrat because of his convictions on education, the environment, the Patients' Bill of Rights, campaign finance reform, prescription drugs for seniors, continuing the economic path the country is on, doing more for the poor, and being even more aggressive in education.

Let me say that if the Congress will send me a strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights today, I'll send every one of them an invitation to a signing ceremony tomorrow.

If not now, when will we ever step forward to bring the hope of a good job, decent health care, safe communities, quality education, and new technology to every corner of this Nation, from Penobscot, Maine, to Window Rock, Arizona?

I want people, who are over 55 but not old enough to be on Medicare, who lose their health insurance, to be able to buy into Medicare.

First we want to cover all Americans; that's a very important thing.

Digital technology combined with medical science made this possible.

This should be about protecting patients, not insurance companies.

Every responsible analyst of Medicare says there are just so many people drawing and so few people paying in.

How would you feel if your child was riding on a bicycle one day and got hit by a car and had to pass two emergency rooms before he or she could get care?

Better to keep people well.

Today I want to talk to you about our Nation's duty to ensure that all America's seniors can enjoy their golden years as healthy as modern medicine will allow.

For 34 years now, Medicare has been the cornerstone of our efforts to protect the health of the disabled and our seniors.

The plan will strengthen Medicare by controlling cost, promoting competition, and dedicating a significant portion of the budget surplus to keeping the Trust Fund solvent until the year 2027.

No American should have to choose between fighting infections and fighting hunger, between skipping doses and skipping meals, between staying healthy and paying the rent.