Political Quotes

“this week--tomorrow, to be precise--we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, which then-President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed into law on July 30, 1965. I take great pride in the Medicare and Medicaid Programs, which fall under the Social Security Act, because they are so successful, but also because--as I think most of my colleagues know--the headquarters for both the Social Security Administration (SSA) and for CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, are located in Maryland. The men and women who work at SSA and CMS are doing incredible service to carry out some of the most important programs in our country: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. For the past 50 years, our seniors and our most vulnerable citizens have been able to rely upon Medicare to provide access to affordable, high-quality health care. Let me underscore how important Medicare is to our country, to our seniors and those who suffer with disabilities. It allows them to be able to get quality health coverage, affordable care, without having to deal with the difficulties of obtaining and paying for private insurance. Private insurance makes money by insuring people who make fewer claims. As you get older, your health care needs become more intense. Therefore, private insurance companies aren't exactly excited to have people who make a lot of claims in their health insurance pool. That is why we developed Medicare.…”