Political Quotes

“I appreciate the Senator's thoughtful, incisive questions which underscore some of the differences--I think clear deficiencies--in the legislation the House has already passed. According to the Corporate Health Care Coalition, the benefit of employer-sponsored coverage is minimized under the Republican proposal and, as the Senator from Massachusetts said, threatens to force employers to choose between private plans or the Medicare plan, and the estimate is that a substantial number of employers would elect to dump their current coverage for retirees and let this become a full Federal plan responsibility. This would be a threat to over 3 million seniors who today are able to rely on a reduced prescription drug benefit and which under our program would be able to, should they elect to do so, have the benefits of both their employer plan and the new Medicare plan as, in insurance industry terms, a wraparound policy. Everyone in this Chamber understands the need for fiscal discipline, but this should not come at the cost of providing a meaningful drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries. The budget passed by the Senate Budget Committee provides up to $500 billion for a prescription drug benefit. Mr. President, our plan is within that range. We do not have to provide beneficiaries a Cadillac. Rather, we would be more prudent to provide them with a Chevrolet or a Ford a reliable, useful automobile.”