[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 20, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H6]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE DRUG COVERAGE BILL

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, President Bush, in his State of the 
Union a year ago, said, ``Medicare is the binding commitment of a 
caring society.'' He then promised a prescription drug/Medicare reform 
bill.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the Republican chairman 
of the House Committee on Ways and Means, one of the authors of the 
bill with the Bush administration, said, ``to those who say this bill 
would end Medicare as we know it, our answer is we certainly hope so.''

                              {time}  1300

  I wish President Bush tonight would explain what happened to the 
Medicare bill that he signed in December. I wish he would explain that 
this legislation will mean $139 billion, that is with a ``B,'' $139 
billion additional profits for the drug industry. I wish he would 
explain tonight to the American people why this Medicare privatization 
bill means $14 billion in extra payouts to the HMOs and to the 
insurance companies. And I wish he would explain to the American people 
why he let in to write this bill the drug industry and the insurance 
industry, which sat down with the administration, with Republican 
leadership and actually wrote the Medicare prescription drug 
privatization bill. We need answers tonight, Mr. Speaker.

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