Bill Nelson: “On the vote Members just rejected, the thought was that extending the 6-month enrollment period was not warranted…”

“On the vote Members just rejected, the thought was that extending the 6-month enrollment period was not warranted because, in fact, you have been hearing from your senior citizens. So we will give you an opportunity now. This amendment expands the 6-month enrollment period for the entire year of 2006 and allows beneficiaries, one time, to change plans in that year when they make a mistake. We are also going to make all those folks, those seniors who are out of pocket, the pharmacies that are out of pocket, the States that are out of pocket because of the Federal bungling, we will reimburse them in the implementation where individual senior citizens have had to eat the cost when they find their drugs that are essential to their health, that they cannot get them because they are not eligible under the new plan under Medicare. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.”