Susan Collins: “I rise in support of this prescription drug bill for our seniors. It will be voluntary for our seniors. It will give…”

“I rise in support of this prescription drug bill for our seniors. It will be voluntary for our seniors. It will give them the freedom to choose as to whether or not to stay in a plan they may already be in or to choose this plan which they may need assistance for. It will assist low income. It will also assist those who have high drug costs and catastrophic coverage. Others it will assist in a different way. It will help reduce the cost of drugs by having the administration deal with drug companies. It is very similar to the way we do with the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, lowering the cost of those who have to pay the co-pay and those who would be between the low income and the catastrophic. It is not a one-size-fits-all; that is for sure. I respect those who have the program or the plan that one size does fit all. But we must be aware of their plan, because of the back-end costs of their plans. We must be aware of the costs of any plan because, under the pay-as-you-go system, those who work today will pay the benefits. It is not a perfect plan, but it is moving in progress, a work in progress.”