Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, in regards to the Medicare provisions, I want to applaud the process that was used. It was a true bipartisan process. I want to congratulate the gentleman from California [Mr. Thomas], the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, and the gentleman from California [Mr. Stark], the ranking member. Working together, we were able to modernize the Medicare system and extend the solvency of the trust fund for another decade, and we did that protecting the beneficiaries. Unlike the other body that looked at ways that will affect the beneficiaries by dealing with eligibility and age and means testing and home care copayments, we were able to modernize the Medicare system and extend benefits to our seniors because we worked together, Democrats and Republicans. We improved the process. I am particularly pleased that we were able to add for the first time preventive health care benefits to Medicare so that it is not just a program for people who get sick, but that we keep our seniors healthy; that we provide for colorectal screening and mammography and diabetes self-management and prostate cancer screenings. We have provided improvements in the Medicare system that will help our seniors.”