Todd Rokita: “If the gentleman will yield, that is so very important and critical to understanding our reform efforts because of the…”

“If the gentleman will yield, that is so very important and critical to understanding our reform efforts because of the fact that our proposed changes don't even have to affect anyone who is on these programs or near to being on them. Our modeling, our reform, our ideas would start in 2024. So the younger guys--men and women, of course--in America, those of the age group that the gentleman from Georgia referenced, would have time to prepare. And it is not like these changes would be draconian. They would just reflect how we live now and how long we live in the 21st century. Again, the main part of our reform is giving people choice. We believe and we know from data and from experiences in the States-- those laboratories of democracy that I referenced earlier, the notion of Federalism, where the best government comes from those that govern closest to the people--that if you give people a choice, no matter their socioeconomic background, now matter how old or young they are or how smart or simple some may think they are, they can make the best choices for themselves in all facets of their lives. And that includes health care. Once we do that, once we have folks invested in the decision-making process, you will see costs naturally go down. {time} 1715 That is a large part of our plan.…”