Political Quotes

“I want to sort of build on what my colleague has just said. Our plan, the Democratic plan, a Medicare prescription drug benefit, is administered by a program that Americans have learned to trust in the last 37 years, the Medicare program, while the Republican plan subsidizes the insurance companies to set up a Medicare prescription drug private insurance HMO plan. And we know how HMOs have treated seniors throughout this country over the last 5 years. Our plan, again, is a Medicare benefit. Their plan sets up drug company HMOs. Now, let us for a moment again compare the two plans. The Democratic plan has a $25 premium, the Republican plan, the premium is undefined. The premium will be set by insurance companies. And if what has happened in the States is any indication, the premium could be as high as $70 or $80 or $90 a month. The Democratic plan has a $100 deductible. The Republican plan, again set by the insurance companies, will have a deductible of at least $250. The Democratic plan, while there is a 20 percent copay for the first $2,000, the Republican plan has a 20 percent copay for the first $1,000 then a 50 percent out-of-pocket cost copay for seniors the next $1,000.”