Political Quotes

“I want to provide a brief update for my colleagues this morning on the Medicare Beneficiaries Freedom To Contract Act. This is the bill which has 46 cosponsors in the Senate, 150-some cosponsors in the House, led by the chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, Bill Archer, to restore the freedom to America's senior citizens to seek the medical care they desire rather than to be dictated to by the Medicare Program to only receive that care under Medicare that they may desire. Here is the situation as it evolved. Mr. President, up until January 1st of this year, senior citizens in this country had always had the right under Medicare to go to the doctor of their choice, and if they wanted to be treated outside of Medicare they could do that. Of course, Medicare couldn't pay the bill. But that freedom always existed. As of a couple of years ago, the administration began to threaten physicians saying that they had to submit all bills for senior citizens to Medicare.”