Political Quotes

“Madam President, we are discussing the Federal budget in Washington on a nonstop basis. One point that seems very noteworthy is that instead of working to create jobs to help grow the economy out of recession, Republicans are still trying to end Medicare as we know it, as it has been relied on for generations of Americans, in order to pay for tax cuts for millionaires. This is the Wall Street Journal describing the Republicans' plan to essentially end Medicare. The Republican plan to end Medicare would put insurance company officials between seniors and their doctors. You no longer have a claim to the individual benefit under their plan. You get a voucher that goes to the insurance company, and you are at the mercy of the insurance company. First of all, they raise drug costs for seniors from day No. 1 by repealing the repair we did to the doughnut hole. Then, of course, 10 years out, you are left at the mercy of private insurance companies. The effect of that is that, on average, seniors will pay nearly $6,400 more out of pocket every year as a result of this Republican plan. Rhode Island has a lot of seniors. I do not know a lot who have an additional $6,359 every year to spend on health care costs that would no longer be covered.…”