Claire McCaskill

I mean, we have got people in the Senate that actually believe the United Nations is something that we can't be a party to anymore, that they are threatening us.

I am a little uncomfortable that all of us seem to have agreed in the room that we are ceding the authority to set this policy to some organization I am not even sure who is in charge of this organization.

Senator McCaskill and Senator Thune have already pointed out, data restrictions could hurt the competitiveness of domestic markets.

I think privacy is an all-American goal, but so is the most vibrant part of our economy.

What it really is is expensive for the Medicare program.

I want to make sure. You are saying that everybody at your company makes the same amount no matter how many machines they sell.

Medicare is going to bust this country if we are not careful.

We deeply appreciate you being here, and I will make sure that we get you information that you want from us that is part of the public record.

I do not think you have any HIPAA concerns if I have the permission of the patient.

So maybe, do you think if we are going to try to tighten it up that we need to begin at the doctor's office and give them some kind of disincentive to sign off on these prescriptions without actually looking at the files and discussing it…

Do you think that these seniors, though, are making knowing choices?

It turns out without competitive bidding and a free-for-all among seniors in terms of marketing that it did not work out that way.

I am coming at this from the perspective of the Medicare patient who is complaining to Congress that she was aggressively marketed in a way that made her uncomfortable.

The patient basically grants us expressed permission to call them.

So, in this instance, you are saying Mrs. Pariseau went on your website, she filled in her e-mail address, she filled in her phone number, and then you send her an e-mail.

We are going to bring down these health care costs in a way that is not harmful to seniors.

How would it change your business model if you could no longer get people to give you their phone numbers on a website?

I think that is ripe for confusion, and I think the current system allows a lot of that also.

Well, maybe that is the answer. Maybe we stop it there.

I got to tell you that is a hard assumption for me to make but I am going to make it out of deference to your testimony.

The government set up a system here that allowed what I think at one point people believed it would be a free market of competition that would drive costs down.

Is it possible that any of your people working for your company, are they compensated based on how much they sell?

So, the e-mail is superfluous to the policy.

What if she does not respond to your e-mail? Do you send her a letter?

Have you been investigated for violating this prohibition on direct marketing?