Martin Hoke: “Well, let us boil it down so that the senior citizens that, Mr. Speaker, may be watching these proceedings could get a…”

“Well, let us boil it down so that the senior citizens that, Mr. Speaker, may be watching these proceedings could get a specific example, and I just want to give one. That is so that people can have a sense of exactly what will be available. For example, a 75-year-old with an average income, what are the options that will be available? No. 1, the first option is that senior citizen can stay in the traditional Medicare program. That means no additional deductible or copayment. It means a continued 31.5 percent premium rate for the part B premium, and in other words, anybody that is in the program right now can stay in it with exactly the same benefits and the same levels and the same co-pay with no increases whatsoever except what are already scheduled. That is No. 1. No. 2 is that they can choose a managed care option with prescription drug coverage, and this is an option that is available now to many people in the private sector and will be available to seniors. Third, and this is the one that is most attractive to me, is that they can choose a medical savings account plan, a Medisave plan, that will offer them the protection of catastrophic umbrella coverage while giving them specific incentives to rationalize their own care in the same way that consumers rationalize the purchase of other products in our economy. It seems to me that it is only common sense. It should be only too obvious that having these kinds of choices will be much more attractive to senior citizens.”