Political Quotes

“We did pass a prescription drug bill. It was not what we wanted. We wanted a voluntary program under Medicare which would be universal and available for all Americans so they could get the benefits of Medicare when it came to prescription drugs. We could not convince our Republican friends to go along with us on that, but we did pass a bill in terms of generic drugs to reduce costs for all families across America, to let States come up with their own plans so they could find ways to reduce costs for all the citizens in their State, as well as the safe reimportation of drugs from countries that have much lower costs. Those are three good issues, but do not forget the fourth. Senator Rockefeller's amendment provides that $6 billion, on an emergency basis, will be given for Medicaid to States facing high unemployment. These States have cut back in reimbursements to providers and hospitals. My State is one of them--I bet the State of Michigan is too--and that $6 billion would come back to the States right now. It would help them keep hospitals open and provide basic health care.”