Bill Clinton: “No. They say they do it because we bear the full cost of the research and development cost, and they can't put it off on…”

“No. They say they do it because we bear the full cost of the research and development cost, and they can't put it off on any of the others because the Government controls the prices. That's what they say. So I think if that's true, then the United States and its people have been awfully good to our drug companies. They've been willing to pay higher prices for drugs made in America than people in other countries do, and I think they owe it to the seniors to get off this high horse and stop trying to beat this attempt to extend medical coverage to seniors for prescription drugs. People that live on fixed incomes ought to be able to get the benefit of discounts you get when you buy in bulk. This is not Government regulation; this is market power. A lot of these drugs they have long since recovered the research and developments cost, long since. And I just think it's wrong for our people either not to be able to get them at all or to pay so much more than others do. And this is one way to sort of split the difference between their position that they need higher profits to invest in research and development and the very low cost that they can get if they happen to live close enough to the Canadian border to cross it. So I would like to see Medicare cover prescription drugs on a voluntary basis so our seniors can get discount prices. It's very important. Mr. Roberts. The ideas that have been floated in the Senate, which ostensibly are voucher systems, would you agree with that type of system to pay for prescription drugs?”