Political Quotes

“since its creation in 1965, the Medicare Program has helped millions of the Nation's elderly and disabled when they were in desperate need, after they had become sick enough to require a physician's assistance or hospitalization. Thirty-seven years after its creation, it is time for change. A prescription drug benefit is the most fundamental reform we can make to the Medicare Program. Why? If we want to truly reform Medicare, we must change its basic approach from one that is oriented toward intervention after sickness to one that focuses on maintaining wellness and the highest quality of life. This prevention approach will require in almost every instance a significant use of prescription drugs. An example of how the use of prescription drugs has changed medicine was made by Dr. Howard Forman, a congressional fellow in my office, who is a doctor and professor at the Yale Medical School. Dr. Forman remarked to me that none of his students had ever seen ulcer surgery. Why? Because we now give patients prescription drugs to care for this ailment which previously was dealt with through surgery. This is just one of many examples of where modern medicine has fundamentally been altered by prescription drugs; notably, by improving the quality of people's lives, ending the need for many surgeries and long recovery periods.”