William Tauzin: “It is important I think for us to answer some of those accusations right up front. First, are we forcing anybody out of…”

“It is important I think for us to answer some of those accusations right up front. First, are we forcing anybody out of Medicare? The answer is no. Our plan says if you want to stay under the traditional Medicare fee-for-service, you choose your own doctor, choose your own hospital, you continue as my mother has under the Medicare program, you can continue under the current Medicare program as long as you want to. I will say it again. You can stay in Medicare as long as you want to. Will there be increases in the benefits over the next 7 years in our plan if you stay in Medicare? The answer is yes. We will increase the benefits per beneficiary from about $4,800 a person on average to $6,700 a person on average over the next 7 years. So if you are like my mother, you like Medicare and want to stay there, you can and your benefits increase over the next 7 years by almost $2,000. So do not believe this awful fear tactic that we are somehow cutting the benefits to Medicare beneficiaries. Neither are we forcing anybody out of the Medicare system as they knew it. I will tell you the other good news. What about the case if a Medicare beneficiary decides to choose one of these new plans and then does not like it? Guess what, under our plan if you choose it and do not like it, you can go right back into Medicare. In the first 2 years you can do that on a 60, 90-day turnover. You can try a plan and go right back to Medicare. After that you sign up for 1 year at a time.”