[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18791]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE FOR SENIORS

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, time is running out for 
America's seniors. America's seniors are well aware now that many of 
them cannot afford the drugs that their doctors prescribe. If they in 
fact buy those drugs, we find that they are taking the medicine one 
every other day instead of one every day or three times a day instead 
of four times a day to try to extend the medicine at the peril of their 
own health. Time is running out for them because the Republican 
leadership refuses to bring forth a real prescription drug benefit.
  Rather than use the prescription drug benefit to try to undermine the 
Medicare system as George W. Bush has or to undermine the Medicare 
system as the Republican leadership has----


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). All members are reminded that 
although the debate may criticize the policies of the President or the 
Vice President, or the nominees for those respective offices, remarks 
should avoid personality and, therefore, may not include personal 
accusations or characterizations.
  The gentleman may continue in order.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I stand corrected, Mr. Speaker. It 
is George W. Bush's Medicare prescription drug benefit plan that 
undermines Medicare, not George W. Bush but his Medicare plan, so 
everybody is corrected.
  He would undermine the system and put these seniors at the peril of 
the same HMOs that are canceling their coverage all over the country, 
put them at the peril of the insurance companies, put them at the peril 
of pharmaceutical companies. What we need is a prescription drug 
benefit as part of Medicare so that senior citizens can get the 
medicine they need.

                          ____________________