Tom Harkin: “Bush's plan would leave rural Americans out in the cold. Thirty percent of seniors live in areas with no HMOs. And…”

“Bush's plan would leave rural Americans out in the cold. Thirty percent of seniors live in areas with no HMOs. And contrary to what the Senator from Minnesota said, if I heard him correctly, under the Bush program, the Government would pay 25 percent of the premiums and Medicare recipients would have to pay 75 percent. The Bush program basically is kind of scary. Seniors ought to be afraid of it, because if it comes into being, you will need more than your Medicare card. You will need your income tax returns to go down and show them how much income you have, how many assets you have. If you qualify, you are in; if you don't, you are out. That would be the end of Medicare. I yield the floor.”