[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4912]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          NEW MEDICARE BILL PROVIDES MORE OPTIONS FOR SENIORS

  (Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I opened up Roll Call and 
among the first things to catch my attention was an article about the 
Democrats' message and their effort to get out the message on Medicare 
reform. I thought, well, better late than never. Perhaps they would now 
start talking about the plan this Congress and the President passed to 
help our seniors with their prescription drug costs for the first time 
ever. I thought that maybe the Democrats were finally ready to talk to 
our seniors about the inclusion of preventive care that starts with a 
free physical when the seniors enter Medicare. I thought that maybe 
Democrats would join us in talking about how we will, through the 
Medicare reform bill, begin working toward a 21st-century health care 
system for our seniors so that their prescription drug usage is better 
coordinated to prevent overusage and harmful interactions.
  I should have known better.
  Democrats continue to resist informing seniors about the new options 
available. This Medicare reform is law, and it will provide seniors 
with more options and more choices than ever. I hope my colleagues 
across the aisle will reconsider their tactics.

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