Anna Eshoo: “Mr. Speaker, for those that are listening in this evening, besides the vote that some Members of Congress have had to…”

“Mr. Speaker, for those that are listening in this evening, besides the vote that some Members of Congress have had to take on going to war, I consider this the most important vote in the House of Representatives. Tonight we debate a bill where there is only one thing that the two parties agree on, and that is that our seniors deserve prescription drug coverage. For 38 years, there has been a gold standard for those that are 65 years and older and it was named Medicare. How dare my colleagues on this side of the aisle say that the Democrats have not done a damn thing. I regret those words in the Record. We love Medicare. We put it on the books, and we have defended it ever since then. And we want a policy in Medicare that is ennobling and recognizes what senior citizens are. The advertisers are very busy, but beware. Beware of the advertising. Read the bill. If your insurance salesman comes to you, the first thing you say is, how much is this going to cost a month? Read the bill. There is no premium cost in the bill. It says choice. Yes, there will be choice of insurance companies but not choices of doctors. By 2010, every senior citizen that is listening in, you will be forced, you will be mandated to go into a private insurance program.”