Tom Harkin: “We are debating an issue of utmost importance--the health and security of this Nation's elderly and disabled. To repeat…”

“We are debating an issue of utmost importance--the health and security of this Nation's elderly and disabled. To repeat what has been said, Medicare was created 40 years ago with the purpose of providing this Nation's aged and disabled with a safety net to protect them from debt and destitution. For years, seniors have counted on health security in their golden years thanks to Medicare. This program stands as a social contract between the American Government and the American people, a social contract between one generation and the next. The contract is simply this: After a lifetime of work, when you turn 65 you are promised health insurance covering doctors visits, hospitals, and many other health costs. But there has been one exemption from this social contract--no coverage for prescription drugs. It is not possible to overstate what Medicare means to a citizen of modest means who has worked hard for a lifetime, who doesn't want to be a burden on the rest of his or her family.”