Pete Stark: “Mr. Speaker, to the previous speaker in the well I would say things have not changed, or maybe they have. Now the…”

“Mr. Speaker, to the previous speaker in the well I would say things have not changed, or maybe they have. Now the lobbyists for the pharmacists get together with Members of Congress in the dead of night and draw a bill that will benefit only the pharmaceutical corporations and the managed care companies. So where we used to be able to consult with our local pharmacist about what is good for us, now we have to let the Republicans cozy up to the lobbyists in whose pocket they reside and get their campaign contributions and whatever other gifts they want to give them as they draft a bill which will only help the pharmaceutical industry and the HMOs in this country. I would like to say that the Democrats' bill, if it were allowed to be voted on by the Republicans, is a better bill. We will hear in the debate that there are some similarities, and there are. The principal difference is that the Democrats bill is dependable. It uses real resources, and it is an integral part of Medicare. The Republican bill will never come into law. We see before us the statement that was given to us this morning by the administration which opposes H.R. 4680 because its private insurance benefit does not meet the President's test of being a meaningful Medicare prescription drug benefit that is affordable and accessible for all beneficiaries; and if H.R. 4680 were presented to the President, he would veto it.”