Mike Levin: “the Republicans took the advice of their consultants. Look at the label, they said, and forget about the contents. It is…”

“the Republicans took the advice of their consultants. Look at the label, they said, and forget about the contents. It is true. They have used bottles and vials here on the floor; but for many seniors, they would be empty. If seniors have $1,000 in prescription costs, they would pay more for the insurance under the Republican plan than they would get back, and if it is $7,000 in medicine costs, seniors would pay 85 percent. I ask this question: Why should coverage for medicines be different than for visits to physicians and to hospitals? We Democrats say there should be no difference. My Republican colleagues say, set it up under the private insurance plan. They say, ours is one-size-fits-all. Yes, ours is under Medicare that has choice. My Republican colleagues essentially do not build theirs within Medicare. They say have it through private insurance with no assured premium, and I emphasize this, and no assured set of benefits. We can do better.”