[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 72 (Wednesday, June 5, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H3167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, I stand in support of a comprehensive 
prescription drug plan. We need to do something for our seniors. 
Seniors are the ones that made our country great, and too often we 
forget their contribution and what they have done.
  We have a responsibility. Today many of them are faced with a crisis, 
and I say with a crisis, because now they have to pay an abundance of 
dollars on a fixed income. It becomes so difficult for our seniors to 
put food on the table when they have to decide what to do: ``Do I pay 
for medication that will relieve the pain and agony that I have?''
  Some of these seniors have 15 to 30 prescription drugs that they have 
to pay for. It is too high. It has gotten ridiculous. This is not about 
profit, this is about taking care of the American people. This is about 
taking care of our seniors. We need to make sure that we come up with a 
comprehensive medical plan that covers them. We owe it to our seniors 
and we owe it to Americans, we owe it to this country.
  I say, let us get behind a good, comprehensive plan that covers our 
seniors. They have suffered enough. Let us help them.

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