[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      40TH ANNIVERSARY OF MEDICARE

  Mr. FRIST. Tomorrow, America celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 
Medicare law.
  Forty years ago, standing in the Harry S. Truman library in 
Independence, Missouri, President Johnson told a grateful nation that 
``Through this new law, every citizen will be able, in his productive 
years when he is earning, to insure himself against the ravages of old 
age.''
  Passage of the Medicare law ensured that never again would health 
care for the elderly be a matter of charity, but one of national 
conscience.
  Medicare has served millions of seniors, improving their health and 
lengthening their lives. Today, 41 million elderly and disabled 
Americans have Medicare coverage. That number is expected to hit 77 
million in 2031 when the baby boom generation is fully enrolled.
  I am proud to have worked to pass the Medicare Modernization Act in 
2003. This legislation guarantees seniors for the first time have 
access to affordable prescription drugs.
  It also expands health care choices, improves preventive care, and 
begins to take a number of additional steps to improve quality and 
affordability of care in the Medicare program.
  In just a few short months, in January 2006, every senior will have 
access to prescription drug coverage under Medicare. This represents 
the most significant improvement to the Medicare program since its 
inception 40 years ago. And 41 million American seniors and individuals 
with disabilities finally have the prescription drug coverage they need 
and the Medicare choices they deserve.
  As a physician, I have written thousands of prescriptions that I knew 
would go unfilled because patients could not afford them. Under the 
Medicare Modernization Act that will soon change.
  As a senator, I watched a decades-old Medicare program operate 
without flexibility, without comprehensive and coordinated care, 
without preventive care or disease management, and with no catastrophic 
protection against high out-of-pocket medical costs. I watched as 
science raced ahead, and Medicare stood still.
  Now, under the Medicare Modernization Act that, too, is beginning to 
change. By expanding opportunities for private sector innovation, 
Medicare now combines the best of the public and private sectors. It 
provides better and more comprehensive coverage for today's seniors, 
and helps to lay the foundation for a stronger and more modern program 
for tomorrow's seniors.
  The Medicare Modernization Act also offered some benefits for younger 
Americans. Most significantly, it is making health insurance more 
affordable through portable and tax-free health savings accounts. 
Health savings accounts are already giving younger Americans more 
control over their health care choices and hard-earned dollars.
  The Medicare Modernization Act was a historic step forward for a 
program that has served millions of America's seniors. And it continues 
to draw on technological advances, like health information technologies 
and e-prescribing, to deliver more effective and more affordable care.
  Medicare is a compact between generations. It is one of the most 
valued and compassionate legislative achievements of the 20th century. 
More changes will be needed in the future. But we have already begun to 
lay the groundwork. Medicare is providing a platform for making health 
care more affordable, more available, and more dependable for all 
Americans.

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