On the recordMarch 18, 2010
Yeah. Fifty percent reduction in price. That's going to happen right away, so there's going to be help for seniors in that regard. We will no longer charge a copayment. They won't have to pay out of their pocket for preventive services in this bill when it's fully implemented. That means you can get a mammogram, you can get a colonoscopy. You can get a checkup. You can get preventive services without having to pay any out-of-pocket costs. We provide more for home and community-based services so older people can stay in their homes. That's where they want to be. If they can, they don't want to have to go to a nursing home; they want to have services in their communities, in their homes. And if they have to go to nursing homes, we improve nursing home quality. For example, we make sure that there are criminal background checks in nursing homes so that the employees will be safe for people and protect women's safety in the nursing homes. We extend the life of Medicare for almost another decade. You know, oh, Medicaid's going to go broke. This is going to be a problem for Medicare doing this. No. The truth is, this bill will make Medicare solvent. That means that it won't go broke for yet another decade beyond its life right now. So this bill does so much for older Americans. And yet, the other side's trying to scare the heck out of senior citizens, telling them that Medicare's going to be cut. There's not one benefit that's going to be cut under Medicare under this bill.
