Political Quotes

“I will begin with a quote. ``Seniors face a confusing hodgepodge of co-payments and deductibles in Medicare. The system is irrational and difficult to navigate. Simplifying and modernizing cost sharing will make coverage easier to understand and will strengthen the Medicare program over the long term. I believe we can better design both Medicare and Medigap so that seniors and people with disabilities get the most of the health care dollars they spent.'' That is a quote from a Republican colleague. But let me report from Howard Brown, 77 years old, from Cleveland, Ohio. He complained about the complexity of the program that will involve choosing a plan, tracking out-of-pocket expenses, and knowing when the coverage kicks in, lapses and then resumes in severe cases, all according to a sliding scale of benefit. Mr. Brown said, ``I am too old to try to figure all this out. Make it simple. Make it plain so I can understand it.'' The people in the United States, the seniors who are on Medicare, they want a defined benefit giving them an entitlement and a guarantee. They want it to be affordable with reasonable premiums and deductibles. They want it to be designed to significantly reduce the price of their prescriptions, and they want a meaningful Medicare prescription drug bill that provides absolutely no gaps and no separate privatized ambulance.”