Political Quotes

“early this morning, in fact, a little over 12 hours ago in the Senate, Dr. Mark McClellan became administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. I thank all of my colleagues for their cooperation over the course of that whole week, this past week, in order to facilitate the confirmation of Dr. Mark McClellan. I say that because the responsibilities of the CMS--again, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services--are that of being the Government organization responsible for Medicare and Medicaid in this country. These responsibilities are crucial. The administrator oversees the program that provides health care coverage for over 70 million people, including seniors, as we know, including individuals with disabilities, with low-income children, with pregnant women--a huge responsibility. This becomes critically important because the challenges facing CMS today are greater than at any time in this agency's history. I say that because the head of that agency, now Dr. McClellan, will be charged with implementing the Medicare Modernization Act and, in a very short period of time, educating seniors about the benefits of the new law, about the advantages of the new law, and how they best can take advantage of these new benefits. It is going to take a strong and steady hand to get the job done. I am confident, and I think my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed that strong confidence, in Dr. McClellan.”