David Thomas: “the key term is ``flexibility.'' As I said, we are on the verge of a dramatic breakthrough and a number of drugs are…”

“the key term is ``flexibility.'' As I said, we are on the verge of a dramatic breakthrough and a number of drugs are going to be available that are not currently on the market. One of the reasons that the nonpartisan analysts that we use to look at pieces of legislation said that our plan, the bipartisan plan that passed the House, had as much as twice the discount capability of the Democrats' plan, including the one that the Vice President has offered, is because of the flexibility; that we provide the opportunity to change the structure when the structure needs to be changed, not when the bureaucrats or the politics say it should be changed. And so, we really should not wait one day longer than necessary to provide the seniors this relief. Now, I think it is also worthy to note that there are as much as two-thirds of the seniors that have some form of insurance protection; but even though they have it, they are in fear of losing it. And, of course, if they are part of the one-third that has none at all, they live in fear every day that something is going to happen in which their finances simply are not going to be capable, if they have them in the first place, of paying for some these miracle drugs, which do come at relatively high prices if they have to buy them at retail, as many seniors do today, instead of group purchases.”