Nancy L. Johnson: “That is right, and our goal was to ensure that seniors would have the choice of health care plans that offered, for…”

“That is right, and our goal was to ensure that seniors would have the choice of health care plans that offered, for instance, prescription drug coverage, that offered better preventive benefits, that better covered the deductibles and copayments in Medicare, and because we wanted seniors to have those choices we wrote provisions in the Medicare reform law that allowed the development of hospital and physician networks, and you know, as one who represents an area of the country that has a lot of small towns and small hospitals, I can tell you that allowing the development of these provider-sponsored networks is key to the survival of these smaller hospitals and the medical community around them. So I am pleased that this year the administration is back before the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Ways and Means on which I serve. They are saying that we need to do this, they are going to work with us this year, and I believe we are going to improve the health care system and the choices not just for senior citizens but for all Americans, and that is in everybody's interest. So I am pleased that this year we will improve the benefits under Medicare. We will also slow the growth in costs through the kind of progressive change that is possible through good governments and good choices.”