Frank Pallone: “I want to say I think all of us feel very strongly that we want to look at this practically. We are not ideologically…”

“I want to say I think all of us feel very strongly that we want to look at this practically. We are not ideologically driven. We are not driven by campaign contributions. We just feel it is time to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare; and we feel strongly that Medicare works, it is a good program. It is not something that needs to be scrapped because the seniors are not telling us they do not like Medicare. The simple thing the Democrats say is we need a prescription drug benefit. It is time for that. Let us simply add it to the existing Medicare program. Let us set it up like we do with part B and have a low premium and a low deductible and 80 percent of the cost paid for by the Federal Government. And as the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) said, we have to have negotiated prices because otherwise the cost of the program is going to become so prohibitive the Federal Government would not be able to pay for it eventually.”