Deborah Koff Ross: “I do rise in opposition, strong opposition, to this bill. Just a few months ago, I was in Glenwood, Arkansas, a small…”

“I do rise in opposition, strong opposition, to this bill. Just a few months ago, I was in Glenwood, Arkansas, a small town in my district, and ran into an elderly woman who is a retired pharmacist and who just happened to be a relief pharmacist in my hometown when I was a small child growing up. She related the story to me about how when I was a child and she was a pharmacist, if she had a prescription that cost over $5, she would go on and fill the next one while she built up enough confidence to let the patient know it was going to cost $5. I think that really demonstrates, more than life itself, that today's Medicare, if we think about it, was really designed for yesterday's medical care. Health insurance companies, which are very greedy, in my opinion, make huge profits and even they cover the cost of medicine. Why? Because they know it helps patients to get well and live healthier lifestyles. As a small town family pharmacy owner, I am sick and tired of seeing seniors leave the doors of our pharmacy without their medicine.”