[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13058]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              SENIOR CITIZENS SUFFERED BIG LOSS YESTERDAY

  (Mr. TURNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, last night on this floor, the big drug 
manufacturers won a big victory, and our senior citizens suffered a big 
loss.
  The big drug companies spent $100 million on a lobbying campaign that 
paid dividends, but only by a margin of three votes, and only after the 
rules were manipulated to deny the House Democrats the opportunity to 
vote on a real plan providing real relief for our seniors who are 
paying the high cost of prescription drugs.
  Looking out for the big drug manufacturers instead of our seniors led 
our Republican leadership to pass a plan that will funnel hundreds of 
millions of dollars into the hands of big insurance companies rather 
than help our seniors afford to pay their medicines.
  Even the big insurance companies say it will not work. In fact, the 
President of Blue Cross/Blue Shield said, and I quote, ``This idea of a 
private sector drug benefit provides false hope to America's seniors 
because it is neither workable nor affordable.'' We can do better. Let 
us work together to be sure we do better. Our seniors deserve no less.

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