Political Quotes

“I wish to return to the following. Here we go. We are now taking the retirees who are given only Medicare, and the Warner bill now restores them to the full rights they had when they were on active duty in terms of health care. My good friend, Senator Johnson, wants to offer them also the chance to go into the Federal program, and the cost of that is largely borne by the Federal Government. That raises his amendment up to twice the cost of mine, using the 10-year average. But we are giving them both. At the same time, I project that the Congress is going to be called upon, should the Warner amendment or the Senator's amendment become law, to begin to add funds for the existing military health care program so that it can absorb back this community. That is not an insignificant expenditure. Now, having done that, which we have to do under either amendment, then to offer them the chance to go into the Federal program, you put the infrastructure in place, they don't avail themselves of it, they go into the Federal employees program, and you have built a big medical program that will not be fully utilized.”