Political Quotes

“I wonder if the Senators are aware that in Michigan-- and I share in the deep concerns of the Senator from Vermont about those opportunities that people have paid into, by the way. This is not free. This is not an entitlement. People pay into Medicare, pay into Social Security, which has lifted a generation of seniors out of poverty and allowed seniors and people with disabilities to live longer because of Medicare, and it has created a better quality of life-- Medicaid, as well. There is a great success story in Michigan that I would share on the Medicaid front. Of course, three out of five Michigan seniors in nursing homes with Alzheimer's or other kinds of challenges get their healthcare from Medicaid. In addition to Medicare, Medicaid is there for middle-class seniors, for low-income seniors, and so on. When our distinguished Senator from Oregon talks about dollars-- saving dollars or costing dollars--an interesting thing has happened by setting up Healthy Michigan and expanding Medicaid healthcare to minimum-wage working people. We are actually saving money. Ninety-seven percent of our children can now see a doctor in Michigan. That is great. They have cut in half the number of people who walk into the emergency room who can't pay. We all pay if somebody walks in and gets the most expensive treatment through the emergency room.…”