Political Quotes

“But this is the most important issue that we will consider this year not only for our seniors but for everyone. I know a lot of my colleagues feel that we should support any legislation because it is a step in the right direction or maybe it is like the Senate bill. This is not the Senate bill. The Senate has a better idea. It is not as good as I would like, but it is better than what we have on the floor today. This legislation would require Medicare to move to a competitive program by 2010. A lot of different terms are used to describe the model in this bill, whether it is called defined contribution, voucher, premium support, or something else, but it abolishes Medicare as we know it. The bottom line is it is privatization of Medicare. It will take the responsibility of providing meaningful, affordable, quality health insurance away from the government, like 1965, and shift the burden onto the shoulders of our seniors. The legislation relies entirely on private insurance plans to provide drug benefits for seniors.”