Janice Schakowsky: “Your 92-year-old mother, when she goes into the hospital, if she didn't have--she probably does have--a supplemental…”

“Your 92-year-old mother, when she goes into the hospital, if she didn't have--she probably does have--a supplemental insurance policy, the copayment on the first day in the hospital, which some seniors have to pay out-of-pocket, is well over $1,000. Medicare, let's remember, does not cover most vision, hearing, or dental, so seniors are still left with not only their premiums and their copayments and their deductibles but lots of things that still aren't covered by Medicare. With the cost of health care to seniors today, this is no entitlement, which makes it sound like they're getting a freebie here. It's very, very expensive. We want to make Medicare better. We want to make it efficient and actually enhance some of those benefits.”