[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORT FISCALLY-RESPONSIBLE REPUBLICAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

  (Mr. FLETCHER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, the Washington Democrats, once again are 
misleading the American people on the debate over necessary 
prescription drug coverage for our seniors. To illustrate to my 
Democrat friends how our plan will help States, Kentucky has 615,000 
Medicare beneficiaries and 50 percent of these citizens are below the 
175 percent of poverty level. In Kentucky, a study estimates that State 
Medicare savings under the Republican-proposed prescription drug 
benefit would be $549 million in the fiscal years 2005 through 2012.
  In a time when seniors and State governments are experiencing 
financial difficulty, our plan provides seniors with an affordable 
prescription drug benefit to Medicare and immediate savings. States 
also benefit by saving millions of dollars in Medicaid beneficiary 
costs over the next several years.
  Mr. Speaker, this plan is the only fiscally-responsible choice for 
both seniors and government and should be supported next week when it 
comes to a full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  The Democrat plan remains an $800 billion boondoggle; and I 
encourage, as we continue this debate, full support of the Republican 
plan.

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