Political Quotes

“the estimate of our bill is that, in conjunction with the underlying generic drug bill, if that passes and makes generic drugs more available, our bill, which would only charge a $10 copayment for generic drugs as opposed to a $40 copayment for brand name drugs--our bill would have a cost over the next 8 years of $407 billion--not $600 billion, or $800 billion, or, as some have even said, $1 trillion--and over the next 10 years would have a cost of $576 billion. I might point out that this is the same program for 8 years that will cost $407 billion, and for 10 years will cost $576 billion. That differential is a reflection of how significant two factors are: One, inflation of prescription drug costs; and, second, the change in the demographics of Medicare beneficiaries. I happened to have been born in 1936. I was 65 years old on November 9 of last year. I belong to the second lowest birth rate year in the 20th century. Only 1933 had a lower birth rate than 1936. Therefore, there are not very many people my age. We are not putting a particular demand on Medicare or on the Social Security Program. But, in 10 years, it will be the people who were born in 1946--not 1936--which was the beginning of one of the greatest demographic revolutions in America history. We are going to begin to feel the impact of that revolution at the outer years of the 10 years. We are now calculating the cost of this program.”