Political Quotes

“for the last 3 months I have come to the floor of the Senate on more than 20 occasions to talk about the need for this Congress to pass legislation that would cover senior citizens' prescription drug needs under Medicare. I have said again and again that this country can no longer afford not to cover prescription drugs. Before we broke for the work period at home, I talked about a case, for example, from Hillsboro, OR, of a senior citizen who had to be placed in a hospital for more than 6 weeks because he could not afford his medicine on an outpatient basis. Just think about that wasted money. The older person could not get help on an outpatient basis for his medicine, and the doctor said we have no choice but to put that person with a leg infection in the hospital so he can get prescription drug coverage under Part A of the Medicare program. Today, I brought with me a letter from an elderly woman in Phoenix, OR. She receives $1,100 per month in Social Security. Her prescription drug bills run $1,000 a month. She is 74 years old, and she wrote me: What can you do to help? I think it would be a tragedy for this Congress to not go forward on a bipartisan basis and enact meaningful relief for the Nation's older people who are getting clobbered with these prescription drug bills.”