David Thomas: “we want to take some time this morning to talk a little bit about an issue that is very current, is always current, but…”

“we want to take some time this morning to talk a little bit about an issue that is very current, is always current, but particularly current because the trustees of Medicare have given their annual report. So we want to take some time and talk a little bit about an issue that all of us are very much interested in. I think, universally, we want to keep health care for the elderly. But the difficulty has been in facing up to some of the realistic changes that have to be made if, indeed, we are going to continue to have Medicare. The conflict has always been a political one, frankly, between those who say Medicare is the third rail of politics--touch it and you are dead. So nobody wants to talk about it. At the same time, there is a growing recognition, a growing certainty, that unless you make some changes, this program will not be available for the elderly in years to come.”