Political Quotes

“I rise today to voice my growing frustration with the ongoing negotiations to create a Medicare prescription drug benefit. This could be the largest expansion of this program since the inception almost 40 years ago. Changes to this program will affect every senior in every District. Unfortunately, leaders of the conference committee only seem interested in pushing their own agenda. They are not listening to Members on this side of the aisle, and they are not listening to the growing numbers of senior citizens. We have to find out from media reports that our colleagues are considering provisions to increase premiums, means test the program and ultimately privatize Medicare. If these media reports are to be believed, then the proposed benefit is even worse than what initially passed this House floor by one vote. Combined costs of the premiums, deductibles and copays amount to $1,300 per senior, just for $2,000 worth of coverage. That means that the government pays $700 and our seniors pay $1,300, almost twice as much. Mr. Speaker, my seniors do not like the sounds of any of these proposals. They are already paying 22 percent of their out-of-pocket costs on health care, and even though they may vote for a Democratic Member of Congress, they still deserve to have their voices heard. I urge my conferees to listen to their House and Senate colleagues and do a bipartisan bill that provides seniors with the relief they need.”