Sean Patrick Maloney: “I oppose this Republican Medicare bill, and I urge every woman, man, every American to read the fine print. There are…”

“I oppose this Republican Medicare bill, and I urge every woman, man, every American to read the fine print. There are gaping holes. There are problems. I will put this into the Record and I am totally opposed to this bill. Mr. Speaker, the health of America's older women is at serious risk. Whatever Medicare Prescription Drug bill we pass will have an enormous impact on older women, both now and in the future, and women are concerned. More than half of Medicare recipients age 65 are women; by age 85, 71 percent are women. And most older women live on fixed incomes. Older women tend to have more chronic health conditions than men, and eight of ten women on Medicare use prescription drugs regularly. In the face of these facts, the 'bait and switch' tactics of the Republican Medicare Prescription Drug bill are simply outrageous. Seniors think we're giving them help with high cost drugs. They think we're offering them supplemental insurance--guaranteed, cheaper and permanent--to ease their burden of skyrocketing drug costs on fixed incomes. But the Republican bill is a cruel trick. Seniors who are sickest and taking expensive medications--mostly women on fixed incomes--get a little bit of help with the first 2000 bucks of drug expenses. But then they get the 'donut hole'--a big fat zero until they pay a $3000 ransom to get more help with their drug bills. The fiscal irresponsibility of the Republican bill is stunning and illogical.”