Tom Harkin: “The point is, the Senator from Oklahoma and other people on that side are saying turn it over to the insurance…”

“The point is, the Senator from Oklahoma and other people on that side are saying turn it over to the insurance companies. He talks about rationing, but what the Republicans want to do is give private insurers a free ride, charge seniors whatever they want, and then they will be able to tell them what drugs they take. That is what the insurance companies do now anyway. Look at the debate on Medicare. Turn it over to the insurance companies. You can just go back to 1935 and look at the debate on Social Security. We have heard the same echoes all the time down through the years that we cannot do this. Well, it is time we do it. It is time we make good on the promise to 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare. The choice is very clear: You either do it under Medicare, which is proven and has a proven track record; it cuts out all of the middlemen in the middle ground and gets the drugs right to seniors, or you can go in the other direction and say we will do it through the insurance companies, which is exactly what the bill on the Republican side proposes to do.”