Political Quotes

“for the past six months, I have been reading letters on the floor of the House of Representatives from senior citizens from all over the state of Michigan. These seniors have shared their stories with me about the high cost of prescription drugs. They all have one thing in common: these seniors rely solely on Medicare for their health insurance, so they do not have any prescription drug benefit. They must pay for their prescription drugs themselves, and with the high prices, they often are forced to make decision between buying the prescription drugs they need or buying food or heating their homes. We must enact a voluntary, Medicare prescription drug benefit that will provide real help for these seniors. This week, I will read a letter from Mary Hudson from Fenton, Michigan. I understand that Mary currently does not fill most of her prescriptions because she cannot afford them. Sometimes, her son buys her medication for her and sometimes she goes without. If Mary did purchase all of the prescription medication she needs, her bills would be approximately $1715.40 per year. I will now read Mary's letter. ``Dear Debbie, Last summer, I went to a doctor with bladder problems and high cholesterol and was given prescriptions cost $44--which I got filled--but the other was $90-- which I would not. Who can afford those prices and pay other bills too? Thanks for your interest in seniors, Debbie, and for anything you can do to help us.”