Tom Price: “contrary to what some of my friends on the other side of the aisle do, I like to take this time, morning hour, and share…”

“contrary to what some of my friends on the other side of the aisle do, I like to take this time, morning hour, and share a little good news with the American people, because this is an exciting day. It is a new day for health care in our Nation. It is a day of great opportunity for seniors all across our Nation. Today is the first day that seniors all across America are able to sign up voluntarily and participate in the new Medicare part D prescription drug program. As many members of Congress know, I am a third-generation physician, and the things that were available to treat patients by my father and my grandfather have changed so significantly. The kinds of things that I was able to use to take care of patients were remarkably different than those that my father and grandfather were able to use. Medicine is an evolving science, and it changes almost daily. But the Medicare program, like most government programs, has not kept up. When Medicare started 40 years ago, there really were very few medications that were able to be used to significantly alter the course of a disease or to prevent disease. But a lot of things have changed. Over the past 40 years, there are wonderful opportunities that have been created with the use of drug treatments and medications to prevent and cure diseases. Yet Medicare, until now, has not covered a single medication. None.…”