Ron Wyden: “As one who voted to establish the Medicare prescription drug program and believes in bipartisanship, my message today to…”

“As one who voted to establish the Medicare prescription drug program and believes in bipartisanship, my message today to colleagues on the other side and on this side is this: We can do better. There are patients who are enrolled in this program--enrolled right now--who are heart transplant patients and patients suffering from cancer, who, while enrolled in the program, are seeing their medicines go up hundreds of dollars--hundreds and hundreds of dollars in 1 month. They are enrolled in this program that I have voted for. I say to my colleagues, let us look at ways to do better. The private plans are going to continue to take the lead. This measure does not preempt the work of those private plans. But in the name of those seniors who are enrolled in this program, who are seeing their bills go up hundreds of dollars a month right now, let us not pass up the opportunity to do better. If we don't vote for cloture and go to this bill, we will not even have a debate in the Senate on an issue with such immediate life-and-death implications for our people, and I simply think that is wrong. I wish to make this program better. I wish to make sure we take advantage of every opportunity to do that. I urge our colleagues, in the name of seniors who are enrolled in the program today and are having difficulty paying their bills, to vote for cloture. Let us have a real debate on this legislation.”