Political Quotes

“what we have done in the balanced Frist- Breaux-Jeffords bill is expand what passed in the Senate last year and take the position we were going to cover all diseases in clinical trials. I do not take that expansion as a point of criticism; I take it as a compliment. It shows we are not entrenched; we are willing to move and do what is right for the American people, given what we know at this point. Three years ago, we did not have these studies. We are getting them as we go forward. We do not have studies on medical devices and, yes, we may have those studies 2, 3, 4 years from now. It comes back to the approach in the McCain-Edwards-Kennedy bill which, again, is going to drive health care costs up for all 170 million people who get health insurance from their employers. Everybody listening to me is not on Medicare and Medicaid. If someone has insurance, they are most likely getting it through their employer. Your premiums are going to go up. How much? It depends on how much we add to this bill and how far we go. Therefore, the prudent thing is to add what is balanced, reasonable, and in the best interest of the patients.”