David Thomas: “today actually started in 1998, when, under the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, we created the Bipartisan Commission on…”

“today actually started in 1998, when, under the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, we created the Bipartisan Commission on Medicare. We knew that Medicare had to change, that prescription drugs had to be integrated into Medicare, that it was overdue. The bipartisan commission met for more than a year, and we came up with the proposal. That bipartisan effort has continued even though the commission ended. In January of this year, the President, in his budget, finally presented a prescription drug proposal on the administration's behalf. Remember, 1999, the bipartisan commission offered a proposal, then early this year, the President offered it. We have been working, on a bipartisan basis, to carry forward a plan to put prescription drugs in Medicare. Today we have that debate. Most of the discussion so far has been on the rule, that somehow when the bipartisan plan gets a vote and the Democratic plan gets a vote, that is unfair. Their argument is they cannot argue their issue. Every Democratic speaker that has gotten up to speak has condemned the bipartisan plan and praised theirs.”