[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1084]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          VOTE AGAINST H.R. 4

  (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, I rise today to voice my opposition to 
H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act. We could 
even call it the Big Government Medicare Prescription Drug Price 
Negotiation Act. You know, I represent about 70,000 Medicare part D 
beneficiaries in my district and they deserve low-cost prescription 
drugs and the option to choose the plans that best suit their needs.
  Part D plans have produced greater than expected savings and our 
Medicare beneficiaries appreciate this. They are saving an average of 
$1,200 annually on their drug costs. Program costs are going to be 
about $200 billion lower than expected over the next 10 years. And 
repealing part D noninterference will create drug therapy restrictions 
found in the Department of Veterans Affairs programs.
  There is a lot of talk about the Veterans Affairs and comparing that 
to Medicare. That is like comparing apples and oranges, because the VA 
is a direct provider of medical services, where Medicare part D is an 
insurance program for our seniors that allows them to choose to access 
and to control their health care.
  Vote ``no.''

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