Political Quotes

“if I may take a few moments to speak to some of the issues the Senator from Oklahoma has raised about the prioritization, giving priority to the provision of those basic medical services, medical needs. I think we all agree that is the first requirement, to make sure those services are provided for. In the State of Alaska, we hear from those most vulnerable in our Alaska Native population, our elderly--the elders in the village who have lived through some pretty incredible times. At the end of their lives, they are certainly seeking basic medical services. Yet we recognize that with the facilities we have available to them, the services we have available to them, the medical professionals we have available to them, it is very difficult to meet all of those needs. So for them, the opportunity for hospice care, assisted living service, long-term care service, or the home or community-based service--that is singled out in the amendment. They are looking at this not as a luxury, or an add-on, certainly, but something that is basic, something that would be fundamental to a quality of life in their final years.”