[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 15874-15875]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to 
address the most important issue of Medicare reform. As a former nurse, 
I have spent much of my career working to ensure that our Nation's 
healthcare system provides a wide range of affordable services, and we 
as Members of Congress must be fiscally responsible when it comes to 
making decisions regarding our budget. Fiscal responsibility entails 
looking at the whole picture and seeing the effect it may have on all 
individuals in society. I will continue to work hard to ensure that 
those who have given to the system will receive their just rewards. 
This includes continuing to help those who would like to help 
themselves by providing a means for them to do just that. I will 
continue to favor programs such as welfare and Medicare that have this 
objective in mind, and I will oppose any legislation that provides tax 
cuts which do not benefit all of society.
  In the year 2000 at my request the House Committee on Government 
Reform conducted research on prescription drug costs in the Dallas-
Fortworth Metroplex. The results of this study were astounding. Seniors 
in my congressional district paid 122 percent more for prescription 
drugs than do members of managed care plans and Federal employees. Last 
Congress I was very disappointed when the House passed the Medicare 
Prescription Drug Benefit bill, H.R. 4954. This bill passed closely 
along party lines, did not entitle seniors to any particular drug 
benefit plan. Instead, this standard benefit is merely a suggestion for 
what private plans might offer. Unfortunately, we are poised to repeat 
history if we pass this Republican Medicare bill. I oppose the 
Republican Medicare bill because it does not ensure that citizens and 
people with disabilities get the long overdue Medicare prescription 
drug benefit that is available and affordable to all.
  There are two essential changes that are needed for the Republican 
Medicare bill to become palatable. First, the bill must be amended to 
include a uniform, defined prescription drug benefit that is 
universally available through Medicare. Second, the bill must reject 
proposals to privatize the program. These two changes are critical. The 
Republican Medicare bill must provide a guaranteed drug benefit managed 
by

[[Page 15875]]

Medicare. Beneficiaries in traditional Medicare cannot be disadvantaged 
should private plans be allowed to compete to provide Medicare 
benefits. Our proposed Democratic amendment would have added a stable, 
defined drug benefit in Medicare.
  It is time that we acknowledge that there is an America that is 
waiting for relief. It is also time for us to acknowledge that the 
people deserve a little attention rather than the corporations and 
pharmaceutical companies getting all of the breaks.

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