Political Quotes

“I rise to oppose this Medicare privatization plan, which is masquerading as a prescription drug bill. This bill would force seniors who want prescription drug coverage to get it from private insurance companies. It provides no guarantee that insurance plans will be available, and when they are, premiums and benefits will vary widely. The bill also provides no coverage when a senior's prescription drug costs are between $2,000 and $4,900 per year. This huge coverage gap affects 47 percent of Medicare beneficiaries. This bill is also a give-away to pharmaceutical companies, as it prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from negotiating lower drug prices. The primary beneficiaries of this bill are not the beneficiaries of Medicare. They are the wealthy special interests in the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry that give campaign contributions to Republicans. However, the most outrageous aspect of this bill is what it does to traditional Medicare. The bill would increase seniors' cost for visits to the doctor's office by raising the Medicare Part B deductible and indexing it for inflation. This could cost American seniors an estimated $8 billion. While this may seem like a tiny fraction of the Republicans' $350 billion tax-cut-for-the-rich, it is a huge expense for senior citizens, many of whom live on limited incomes.”