Frank Pallone: “I think on the expansion of the Medicare coverage, while it is specific to the age groups of 55 to 64, there is not…”

“I think on the expansion of the Medicare coverage, while it is specific to the age groups of 55 to 64, there is not anyone who is 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 who is not thinking about, my gosh, if I get ill or if something happens to my family am I going to be wiped out by illness. These are people who are near that period of time. So there are a lot of people who are immediately facing the circumstance, but there are those who are fairly soon going to face the circumstance and they are scared. They are scared. And this seems like an equitable way, with the purpose of not draining Medicare funds, which no one wants to do, we want to make sure those funds are safe, and, at the same time, allowing people the opportunity to pay in. It is not getting something for nothing. We will pay in. In this way we are in some way protected. I think we have some very, very important health care issues that are critical in the lives of our families today, which is exciting to me and I think to my colleagues.”