Sherrod Brown: “That is exactly my argument. Under the Republican plan, you just simply do the math, and we know that seniors around the…”

“That is exactly my argument. Under the Republican plan, you just simply do the math, and we know that seniors around the country will do the math. I hope they do the math before tomorrow when we vote on this bill because once they have, they will see they are not getting very much in this benefit. For a senior in the United States under the Republican plan who has $5,000 in drug costs, the government will only pick up $1,000. Four thousand of that will come from out-of-pocket costs. So $5,000 drug costs, saving only 20 percent of that. The government will only pay 20 percent. The senior will pay $4,000 out-of-pocket costs. What is so disingenuous about the Republican plan is that it is hard to figure out because they charge a premium. They say it might be $35, but the only time it has ever been tried it was $85 a month. Then there is a $250 deductible. Then they pay 20 percent of the first $2,000, but after $2,000 they pay zero percent. The government does of the next $2,100. It is very complicated. That is what you are talking about. The Democratic plan operates the same way traditional Medicare does. It is a simple $35 premium, $250 deductible, 20 percent co-pay, and then 100 percent coverage by the government of catastrophic coverage if you have huge drug bills. It is very simple by the way the Democrats do it because it operates the same way that traditional Medicare does. Seniors know how Medicare operates.”