[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10842]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
                 PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE FOR SENIORS

  (Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, now that Republicans are back from their 
party with the pharmaceutical industry, we may be able to legislate 
prescription drug coverage that will be good for our seniors. 
Unfortunately, the plan being developed by the GOP is one more payback 
for their buddies in the drug industry and another ploy to privatize 
Medicare.
  The reason Medicare was created was because the free market could not 
take care of seniors, their health care and health care of some 
disabled. To think that the private sector will step up and help them 
now is unrealistic.
  In the Republicans' sham proposal, the party will be over if anyone 
is counting on Congress to pass a real prescription drug benefit, 
because we need a benefit that can be relied upon. We do not need a 
benefit that serves only the drug industry and only the free market.

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