Jay Rockefeller: “I am extremely pleased to be introducing the Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act of 1997 with my colleague from…”

“I am extremely pleased to be introducing the Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act of 1997 with my colleague from Maine, Senator Collins. I have already had the great pleasure of working with Senator Collins on legislation earlier this year to improve the portability of Medigap insurance policies. We were successful in getting a good portion of that legislation enacted this year, so I am very pleased to have another opportunity to work with Senator Collins on another set of issues that are so important to millions of Medicare beneficiaries and the rest of America. We introduce this legislation to ask Congress to take action that responds directly and humanely to the needs of elderly and others during some of their most difficult and often traumatic time of their lives. The United States deserves to be extremely proud of the medical advances and efforts that have extended our people's life expectancy and our ability to overcome disease and medical setbacks. But we need to take some additional, tangible steps to also make progress in the practices and care that affect our citizens when they ultimately face death or the real possibility of death. Our bill provides some of those steps. While this is a difficult area to discuss, it is a very real area for Americans year in and year out.”