Jack Reed: “we are debating at the moment the Energy bill, but there is another major initiative that we are all considering. That…”

“we are debating at the moment the Energy bill, but there is another major initiative that we are all considering. That is the Medicare bill. I would like for a moment to speak about the Medicare bill. We have a history. For 38 years, Medicare has been a central part of the life of America, not just seniors in America but every American family. Now we are being asked to consider, in the waning days of this session, fundamental changes not just to the addition of a pharmacy benefit for seniors but fundamental changes to the structure of the Medicare Program. We are being asked to do so in the waning hours of this session of Congress. What we have seen from the situation in the committee is that it was a period of negotiation between very few people, producing fundamental changes for our Medicare system. It is important, I believe, to look at some of the changes today. Much of the discussion that has taken place in the conference with respect to this proposal has not really been how best to use the $400 billion for pharmacy benefits for seniors but, rather, to make profound changes in Medicare, which I believe undermine, in the long run, the Medicare Program.”