[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7906]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           SENIORS DESERVE CHOICE ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG NEEDS

  (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks).
  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, anyone developing a health 
plan these days would not think of omitting prescription drugs as a 
benefit, yet Medicare does. However, despite this lack of coverage in 
Medicare, fully two-thirds of America's 39 million seniors currently 
have prescription drug coverage, so any new plan must be voluntary and 
not force seniors out of their current plans.
  Seniors deserve the flexibility to determine what type of drug 
coverage they want and need. A one-size-fits-all program will not work.
  One thing that is crystal clear to me is that seniors should not have 
to choose between putting food on the table and buying their medicine. 
A senior's choice should be the plan that best meets their prescription 
drug needs.

                          ____________________