Ed Whitfield: “I have been somewhat shocked, really, at the animosity expressed against our plan this evening. Medicare as it exists…”

“I have been somewhat shocked, really, at the animosity expressed against our plan this evening. Medicare as it exists today uses private companies to administer the Medicare program. Under the Democratic plan, private companies will be used to administer their drug program, just as ours is. I was looking, and in Kentucky we have 615,000 citizens under Medicare. Under this plan, the plan that we will be voting on and passing tonight, 315,000, or 50 percent of them, will basically receive free prescription drugs with a very small copay of like $2 for generics and $5 for name-brand drugs. So how could we possibly oppose helping seniors with this kind of a meaningful program? We have heard a lot of discussion tonight about how horrible the drug companies are in America. I think they have the best research and development, and we are fortunate to live in a country where drugs are being discovered every day to cure serious diseases. Mr. Speaker, I urge the support and passage of this legislation.”