Frank Pallone: “I mean, the reason that my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), started this Special Order tonight is because…”

“I mean, the reason that my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), started this Special Order tonight is because of this 17.4 percent premium increase in Medicare part B, but we have already talked about all of the other additional costs. One of the things that I think has not been highlighted, and I am not talking about with us, but just in general, is that when this so-called prescription drug benefit, and I do not even like to use the term, kicks in in a couple of years, all of the information that Republicans are giving out relative to the cost, none of it is true. They act as if there is going to be a set premium, that there is going to be a set deductible, that there is going to be some list or formula that is going to include drugs, certain drugs. None of these things are true. There is absolutely nothing in the bill that sets the premium. The premium for the drugs could be $100 a month. Who knows? The deductible, we are thinking because we think of part B that the deductible is $100, the deductible could be $200, $300. There is absolutely nothing in this bill that dictates in any way what the price is going to be for the premiums, for the deductibles, for anything, or that any particular drugs are going to be included.”