    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [July 22, 2005]
    [Pages 1264-1276]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in a Discussion on Senior Security in Atlanta
    July 22, 2005

        The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Please be
    seated. Thank you. I'm proud--thank you. Thank you all. We got work to
    do here. Thanks for the warm welcome. I know you're really cheering for
    Mother.
        I'm really thrilled to be back in Atlanta. We're going to talk about
    Medicare and Social Security. Thanks for letting me come by to discuss
    these two really important programs with you. I think you're going to
    find it interesting.
        I want to thank the Atlanta Chamber for sponsoring this event. I
    think it's a good use for the Chamber's time to let us come. I say
    ``us'' because there's going to be more than one speaker--you'll be
    happy to hear--to talk about things that are important for our senior
    citizens. This is an educational experience for people. And I can't
    thank you enough for sponsoring this. So to all the Chamber folks, Tom
    Bell and Sam Williams and the members of the Chamber, thanks a lot for letting
    us come by.
        I want to thank my friend Sonny Perdue. You
    know, I saw Sonny at the airport. He and Mary
    kindly came by, and I said, ``Sonny, how is your budget?'' He said, ``We
    got a surplus.'' I said, ``Congratulations. That's a sign of
    leadership.'' And I want to thank you, Sonny, for serving your State.
        I want to thank very much Jim Wagner,
    the president at Emory. We have just come from a Medicare education
    seminar at--on the campus of that fantastic university. It is a special
    place. Thanks for letting us come by. I appreciate you very much for
    letting us--for coming today as well.
        It turns out when you fly from Washington on Air Force One, people
    sometimes like to get a ride. [Laughter] So I was honored to have coffee
    today on Air Force One with some really great members of the Georgia
    congressional delegation, starting with the United States Senator, Saxby
    Chambliss. And Johnny Isakson is with us too. I appreciate you, Johnny. And we flew
    down with Congressman Jack Kingston,
    Congressman John Linder, and Congressman Lynn
    Westmoreland, three Members of the
    House.
        I want to thank the members of the statehouse who are here, Eric
    Johnson, Bill Stephens, Jerry Keen. I appreciate you all
    serving in the senate and the house of representatives here in the State
    of Georgia.
        I want to thank my friend Julie Gerberding. She is the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
    Prevention. Where are you, Julie? Somewhere. Thanks for coming. Oh,
    there you are. It's a really important agency, and she's doing a really
    fine job. I'm proud of your service

    [[Page 1265]]

    to the country, and it's great to see you again.
        Today Mom and I met Bill and Nina
    Hartman. They came out to the airport. They are
    volunteers with the Clayton County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.
    The reason I bring them up is they are like thousands of other people
    around our country who have heard the call to volunteer. They've heard
    the call to serve our country by becoming a volunteer. These good folks
    help senior citizens stay healthy and active by working in a fitness
    center. In other words, they're taking time out of their life to help
    somebody else. And the reason I bring volunteering up is that if you
    want to serve America, a great way to do so is to feed the hungry, find
    shelter for the homeless, help those who need help.
        Yesterday in the Oval Office, I had an extraordinary experience. A
    young man from Ghana who was born lame
    was basically adopted by a faith-based program here in America, and he
    got a prosthesis. He's now a bicycler and a triathlete. He set an
    example for others in his country that just because you're lame, doesn't
    mean you're a second-class citizen.
        As well, a fellow came to the Oval Office
    who had as a dream of providing wheelchairs for those who are disabled
    all around the world. He wants to lift their spirits by giving them a
    chance to be mobile, other than--so that they're not stuck on the street
    corners of their cities. He realized wheelchairs were too expensive. So
    he designed one that will be available at a reasonable price all
    throughout the--I said, ``Why are you doing it?'' He said, ``I heard a
    call.'' See, thousands of people make up the great strength of the
    country. And the strength of this country is the hearts and souls of our
    citizens. If you want to serve, volunteer. Make somebody's life better.
    Surround somebody who hurts with love, and you'll be doing your country
    a great service. I want to thank Bill and
    Nina for the example they've set.
        How am I doing?
        Former First Lady Barbara Bush. Okay.
    [Laughter]
        The President. I want to make a couple of points before we get to
    retirement security for our seniors. First thing is, is the people of
    Great Britain must understand how strongly America stands with them
    during these trying times. I'm confident, like our country, the citizens
    of that country will not be intimidated by thugs and assassins. They
    understand what we know. They understand what the citizens of this
    country understand, is that we will hold true to our principles of human
    rights and human dignity and the freedom to worship. We're not going to
    let anybody frighten us from our great love of freedom.
        For those of you who have got a loved one who has joined the war on
    terror, I want to to ask you a favor: Send them an e-mail and tell them
    the Commander in Chief is incredibly proud, and the United States of
    America stands squarely with them.
        We're engaged in a global war on terror, and we're facing an enemy
    that has got an ideology based upon hate. If you're trying to figure out
    their ideology, just think the opposite of America. We believe in
    religious tolerance. We believe in equal rights for women. We believe in
    human rights and human dignity and minority rights. We believe people
    ought to be able to live in a free society and express themselves the
    way they see fit.
        These folks believe in a dark vision of the world where there's no
    such thing as dissent or religious liberty. All you got to do is think
    about the Taliban in Afghanistan, where if you spoke your mind, you were
    whipped in the public square, and young girls weren't given an
    education. That's what they think, and they have designs. They have
    goals. They want to topple governments. They want us to retreat from the
    world so they can spread their ideology of hate.

    [[Page 1266]]

        The only way to protect America is a dual strategy: One, stay on the
    offense, bring these people to justice before they hurt us, and at the
    same time, spread an ideology that competes with their ideology, and
    that's an ideology of democracy and freedom. [Applause] Thank you.
        We are laying--I just want you to know, for those of you who have
    got children and grandchildren, I firmly believe that the actions we're
    taking today to defend ourselves, by taking those actions, we're laying
    the foundation of peace for generations to come.
        I want to talk about one other decision I've made recently, and then
    we'll get on to Medicare and Social Security. One of my most solemn
    duties is to find good, honorable, decent people to serve on our courts,
    and I did. And I had the opportunity, as you know, upon the retirement
    of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, to find
    such a person. And I looked hard, and I consulted with the Senate and
    interviewed quite a few people and came to the conclusion that Judge
    John Roberts will make a great Supreme
    Court Justice.
        I came to that conclusion after analyzing his record and having a
    good, extensive chat with him. He's a
    man who loves our country. He's a man who loves his family. He's a
    person who understands what it means to be a strict constructionist,
    somebody who looks at the words of the Constitution for what they are,
    somebody who will not legislate from the bench.
        I want to thank your United States
    Senators for setting the right tone. I urge
    Senators from both political parties to rise above needless partisanship
    and give this good man a fair hearing
    and a vote as quickly as possible, so he can be seated on the bench
    prior to the reconvening of the Supreme Court.
        It is really important that your Government constantly make--
    analyzes programs to make sure they work. And one of the programs that I
    was concerned about was Medicare, and a program I am concerned about is
    Social Security. I say ``was concerned about Medicare'' because, working
    with Republicans and Democrats, we have modernized the Medicare program.
    And today I want to spend a little time talking to you about our
    strategy to make sure seniors get the word that there's a modernized
    Medicare program now available for them.
        I say modernized because if you really think about it--let me put it
    to you this way--Medicare would pay for heart surgery but not for the
    drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the
    first place. That didn't make any sense. You know, you pay $100,000 for
    a surgery, but not $1,000, or whatever it cost, to prevent the surgery
    from being needed. In other words, the system was old. It worked well
    for a lot of seniors, but it was bureaucratic in nature. And it wasn't
    working well for a current generation of seniors. And so I called upon
    the Congress to change this. Let's do something smart on behalf of our
    seniors. And today I want to talk about the bill.
        First thing that Medicare has done is it says that if you're--when
    you join Medicare, you get preventative screenings. Put it in Texas
    terms: In order to solve something, you got to diagnose it. And it makes
    sense to diagnose something early, before it gets too late. That's what
    we're now saying to today's seniors. That seems to make sense. If you're
    a taxpayer, you want to make sure the Medicare system diagnoses problems
    so we can solve them quicker. Secondly, we've now got people covered for
    screenings that can catch illnesses from diabetes to heart disease.
    We're beginning to change the system. We've provided drug discount cards
    for our seniors, and it has made a big difference for a lot of seniors.
    About 6 million seniors have used those cards, and it has been great
    savings for them.
        Now, what's going to change--and this is a voluntary program, by the
    way. This a program that says, ``If you're happy with

    [[Page 1267]]

    the way things are in Medicare, don't change. But there's going to be
    some new options available for you, some new choices.'' I happen to
    believe the more choices consumers get, the better off the consumers
    are. And so what we've done with Medicare is we've said that we've now
    got a prescription drug benefit available for you. Starting on October
    the 1st, beneficiaries will start receiving information about the
    available plans that you can choose from. On November 15th, the
    enrollment opens; January 1st, prescription coverage--prescription drug
    coverage begins. So that's the timetable.
        I got my man Mark McClellan here. His
    job is to make sure that seniors get the information necessary to meet
    the timetable. Part of making sure seniors have got the information
    necessary to meet the timetable is, Mother and
    I have come--this is educational. We're trying to get on the TV screens
    so people understand there's something new coming in Medicare. And we're
    stimulating a grassroots effort. We're going to hear from two good folks
    who are involved with spreading the word to our seniors.
        I say this is a good deal, and I really, truly believe it is,
    because, first of all, on average, beneficiaries receive over $1,300 of
    Federal assistance to pay for prescription drugs. Medicare will cover 95
    percent of prescription costs after a senior has spent $3,600. So in
    other words, you got a catastrophic plan now part of Medicare. Think how
    important that is for a senior. You sign up--you decide to look at this
    option. There's an option now available so that you can rest assured
    that you're not going to go broke because of major medical costs,
    because of pharmaceuticals. In other words, the Federal Government is
    saying, ``We're going to help you, and we're going to also make sure
    that there's a catastrophic plan. And we want to help you have surety
    and comfort as you get older, knowing that you can't get wiped out
    because of prescription drug bills.'' I think this is a very important
    added benefit that will be available for our seniors.
        Low-income seniors--about a third of our seniors will be eligible
    for a drug benefit that includes little or no premium, low deductibles,
    and no gaps in coverage. On the average, Medicare will pay over 95
    percent of the prescription drug cost for these low-income
    beneficiaries. It's a good deal. This isn't--we're not here to promote a
    political party. We're here to promote a good deal for our seniors. And
    I urge you, if you're a son or a daughter, find out what I'm talking
    about and talk to your mom or dad or talk to your grandparents. If you
    want to be involved through your church or through a community
    organization, find out about what we're talking about. And it's not
    hard. We've got all kinds of--1-800-MEDICARE. That's not that hard to
    figure out how to call that--1-800-MEDICARE or medicare.gov on the
    Internet. But find out what we're talking about. Verify, and then go out
    and help a senior make a right decision, the decision best for them.
        To receive assistance, low-income beneficiaries need to fill out a
    simple application. I know you hear Government say simple application--
    there's no such thing. [Laughter] Actually, this is simple.
    McClellan will tell you how simple it is
    in a minute. I'm just telling you it's four pages--[laughter]--but the
    print is big. [Laughter]
        And so we'll talk a little bit about Medicare today. It's changing
    for the good. Seniors will have more options from which to choose from,
    and that's always good. Anytime consumers get better options, it means
    there's going to be a better response to your needs. And again, I
    repeat, if you're happy the way you are--listen, I understand a lot of
    seniors simply don't want to change. They're pretty well happy the way
    things are. They shouldn't be forced to change, and they're not going to
    be. I'm just saying there's something else available if you're
    interested. And our job is

    [[Page 1268]]

    to make sure there's enough information out there to show you that it's
    worthwhile taking a look. So we'll discuss that.
        I also want to talk about Social Security. The first thing I want to
    say on Social Security is, Franklin Roosevelt did a good thing when it
    came to Social Security. Social Security has been a really important
    program, and therefore, people who are receiving Social Security today
    must hear this loud and clear: Nothing is going to change for you.
        I understand the politics of Social Security all too well. When I
    ran for President, they said, ``If George W. gets in there, they're
    going to take away your checks.'' Well, I got in, and you're still
    getting your checks. And what I'm here to tell you, you're still going
    to get your checks. I don't care what the rhetoric is. Seniors have
    nothing to worry about when it comes to Social Security. What you better
    worry about is whether or not your grandchildren are going to get any
    checks.
        Here's the problem: First of all, Social Security is a pay-as-you-go
    system. In other words, there's not a trust. Some people think, well,
    Social Security is the kind of deal where the Government takes your
    money and holds it for you and then gives it back to you when you
    retire. No, the Government takes your money and spends it. [Laughter]
    It's called pay-as-you-go. You pay, and we go ahead and spend.
    [Laughter] And what's left is a file cabinet full of IOUs to future
    generations. I know firsthand about the file cabinets. I went to West
    Virginia and looked at them. [Laughter] You'll be happy they're there.
    [Laughter] But there's not real assets in them. It's paper.
        And so you got a system based upon that, and the strains on the
    system is this: Baby boomers like me--[laughter]--are getting ready to
    retire. There's about 40-odd-million people who are receiving benefits
    today. By the time my generation retires, there's going to be over 70
    million people. A lot of us are getting ready to retire, and we're
    living longer. And interestingly enough, we've been promised greater
    benefits than the previous generation. So think about that. You got a
    lot of people who will living longer getting greater benefits. And to
    compound the problem, for the people sitting here today, particularly
    the young workers, there's fewer of you paying into the system.
        In 1950, there was about 16 workers for every beneficiary. Today,
    there's 3.3 workers for every beneficiary. Soon there's going to be two
    workers for every beneficiary. That means the pay-as-you-go system is
    fixing to go into the red, when you think about it. Fewer people paying
    for a lot of people like me. And it starts in 2017--the system starts
    paying out more benefits than it collects.
        People receiving benefits today have no problem. You got plenty of
    time and plenty of money that you're going to get what you--what you've
    been promised. But I'm here to talk to--who I'm here to talk to are the
    younger folks. I want you to know I cannot in good conscience, as your
    President, know that the system is going broke and knowing a lot of
    people are working hard to put payroll taxes into a broke system. And so
    I called upon--[applause].
        And I think--I'm thinking about you. Now is the time to act on this.
    And I understand some in Washington don't want to deal with the issue.
    It's too politically sensitive. Well, that's fine for someone to think
    that way, but in my judgment, when it costs 600 billion a year, every
    year you wait in order to fix the system--ultimately fix it, there's
    nothing too sensitive. I mean, we're talking about a very important
    program for a lot of folks.
        And so I've made some suggestions. It's one thing to say, ``We got a
    problem,'' but it's another thing to say, ``We got a problem, and here's
    some suggestions.'' In other words, I'm saying to the Congress, ``Here's
    some ideas.'' The first idea is to make sure that future generations
    will receive benefits

    [[Page 1269]]

    equal or greater than the previous generation. We can do that and make
    the system whole.
        Secondly, I believe that the system, at the very minimum, ought to
    say to somebody who has worked all your life, ``You're not going to
    retire into poverty.'' I think it's an important principle. And
    therefore, I subscribe to the idea put forward, interestingly enough, by
    a Democrat, a fellow named Pozen, who
    believes that the poorest of our citizens ought to have their benefits
    increased by wage, at the rate wages increase. That's the way all people
    get their benefits today. That's one of the reasons why the system is
    going to go broke: The benefits are growing too fast, relative to what
    we can afford. So I believe people at the bottom end of the ladder ought
    to be able to get their benefits based upon wages.
        I think the richest one percent ought to have their benefits indexed
    on price. And I think it ought to be scaled up in between. And by the
    way, that suggestion right there will solve, by far, the vast majority
    of the solvency issue of Social Security. In other words, by changing
    what has been promised but making sure everybody's benefits increase,
    you're going to solve the problem for younger generations of people
    coming up. It's a big step toward solving it. And with some other
    modifications, we can say that we have done our duty.
        So here's some ideas for the Congress to talk about. Now, I think
    the Congress needs to--both Republicans and Democrats, if they've got a
    better idea, bring them forward. And we're getting some action. There's
    some good people acting in good faith, bringing some ideas forward to
    help make sure we solve Social Security for a generation of people
    coming up.
        But I'll be frank with you, some people are playing politics with
    the issue there. They just don't, simply, want to do anything. And in my
    judgment, I think the people, the American people, when they really
    figure out the problem we got in Social Security, they're going to say
    to the people who are obstructing any progress, ``That's not what we're
    interested in. We're interested in setting aside politics and doing
    something for a generation of Americans coming up.''
        I'll tell you what else we need to do. We need to not only make sure
    the system is solvent for a younger generation of Americans--and by the
    way, if you're getting your check, you don't have to worry about it.
    You'll notice it's the third time I've said it. Sometimes in this
    business of ours, you've got to keep repeating yourself in order for it
    to sink in.
        But I tell you what else we need to do, we need to--as we fix the
    system permanently, we need to make it a better deal for younger
    workers. I think younger workers, at their option, ought to be allowed
    to take some of their own money and set it aside in a personal savings
    account. [Applause] Thank you.
        I'll tell you why I think that. I believe that people can do a
    better job than the 1.2 percent return they get on their money in the
    current Social Security system. First of all, it's your money, and I
    believe that if you're given the option, the opportunity to take some of
    that money and set it aside in a conservative mix of bonds and stocks,
    that you can do a lot better than 1.2 percent that we get for you. And
    that growth of that money, over time, compounds and grows. And that's
    important. So step one, the reason you ought to be allowed to do this is
    you get a better deal on your own money, and you can watch it grow.
        Secondly, I believe and I know that this is a better deal than the
    current Social Security system for widows. You realize that if you're a
    two-working family--spouses, both spouses work in the family and one
    dies early, that eventually the sole surviving spouse can choose the
    benefits from his plan or her plan, which is ever higher, but not both.
    The bottom line on what I just told you is that somebody worked a long
    time, and that money just goes away. That

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    doesn't make any sense to me. I don't think it's fair. I think if the
    Government lets you set aside some of your own money in an account--I
    know if the Government lets you do that, you'll have an asset that you
    can pass on to your spouse.
        Thirdly, I think it's important in this society to encourage
    ownership. Somehow there's this notion that ownership ought to be
    confined to a few--the investor class is only suitable for certain
    folks. That's not what I think. I know that the more people own an asset
    that they call their own, the better off society is.
        I want people from all walks of life, all neighborhoods, if they so
    choose, to open up a statement on a monthly basis, watching their assets
    grow, assets that the Government cannot take away, assets Government
    can't use for other programs through the pay-as-you-go system, assets
    that they can pass on to their loved ones, assets that they call their
    own. That's going to be good for America when that happens.
        Now, there's a big debate about this idea in Washington--there's a
    big debate about this idea in Washington. Let me just conclude by giving
    you this fact, and the people of Georgia and the people of America can
    make their own conclusion about the wisdom of letting people set aside
    their own money, if that's what they choose to do. I'm going to tell you
    about the Thrift Savings Plan. It is a Federal Government savings
    account passed by the United States Congress. And guess what the Members
    of the Congress said. They said, ``We'd like to set aside some of our
    own money as a part of the Thrift Savings account in a personal savings
    account. We want our money to grow better. We want our assets to be
    there. We want to be able to pass our assets on to whomever we choose.''
    Here's my view. If the Thrift Savings Plan that includes a voluntary
    personal savings account is good enough for Members of the United States
    Congress, it is a good enough option of workers all across America.
        Ready to go? Thank you all. I just read Mother's mind. She said, don't you think you've been talking a
    little too long?
        Former First Lady Bush. That's not what I
    was thinking.
        The President. Well, don't tell them what you were thinking, then,
    if that wasn't it. [Laughter]
        Former First Lady Bush. I was thinking how
    great you look in the new brown look.
        The President. About time somebody noticed. [Laughter]
        Former First Lady Bush. Cozy.
        The President. Well, thanks for coming. Why in the heck are you
    here? [Laughter]
        Former First Lady Bush. I'm here because
    I'm worried about our 17 grandchildren, and so is my husband. They will
    get no Social Security. I'm also here because--I've been dying to say
    this. You did say freedom of speech; I heard you.
        The President. Oops. [Laughter]
        Former First Lady Bush. You better watch
    out. [Laughter] I really think that George W. could have just said, ``To
    heck with Social Security. It won't bother me. I'll get mine. I don't
    need it,'' and forgotten the rest of the young people. I'm very proud of
    him. It's a political nightmare to talk about Social Security, and he's
    got the guts to do it. So I'm for it. [Applause] Thank you.
        The President. Is that all you got to say?
        Former First Lady Bush. I've had it on my
    mind. The brown suit just came up, but--[laughter]--I'm very proud of
    him.
        The President. You turned 80, and all of a sudden you ran out of
    things to say; it's amazing. [Laughter] Wait a minute, she looks great at 80.
        Former First Lady Bush. I just don't like
    having an almost-60-year-old, white-haired son. [Laughter]
        The President. Yeah, well--you can see where I got my white hair
    from. [Laughter] Thanks for coming, Mom.
        Mom is concerned about, like a lot of other
    grandmoms are concerned about, whether or not this Government has got

    [[Page 1271]]

    the will to solve a Social Security problem. You see, once grandmothers
    and granddads understand that they're going to get their check, the next
    question is, ``Well, if it's so bad, Mr. President, how come the
    Congress can't come together with you and save it for my
    grandchildren?'' And that's what's happening. It's going to take a while
    to get people to understand the importance of this issue. A lot of
    people would rather--in Congress--say, ``Well, let's just don't touch
    it. We've got a campaign coming up,'' or something like that. Well, I
    just don't think it's right. And I want to thank you, Mom, for saying
    what you said.
        Something is going to happen. One thing that's not going to happen
    is me dropping the subject. I believe my job--and this is what the
    people want in the President. I think--I'm pretty confident they want a
    President to confront problems, not pass them on to other Presidents or
    other Congresses.
        Mark McClellan. Mark McClellan is with
    us. He is Dr. Mark McClellan, by the way, Texan, father of twins, twin
    daughters. Is that right?
        Mark B. McClellan. That's right.
        The President. Yes. His brother, Scott
    McClellan, is the face of the
    administration. His job is to handle the press corps. I think he does a
    fine--do you not--yes, he does a fine job. Thank you. I'm trying to get
    a little buy-in from our brothers and sisters in the press corps. So
    I've got two McClellan boys with me. And Mark's job is to handle the
    Medicare rollout. What is your job description? [Laughter]
        Dr. McClellan. Well, it covers
    Medicare and Medicaid, and this is a very important time for Medicare,
    as you said, Mr. President. Medicare is about to turn 40, and it's, for
    a long time, provided help with doctor bills and hospital bills when you
    get sick. But as you said, medicine is now about helping you stay well.
    So we want to make Medicare into a new kind of program that's a
    partnership with seniors or people with disability--people who care
    about our beneficiaries, so that they can stay well and take advantage
    of what modern medicine has to offer. And that's what the prescription
    drug benefit and all the other new benefits in Medicare, the voluntary
    new benefits, are all about.
        The President. Yes. And so here's the question we're faced with:
    Congress has already made the decision, as did I. They passed the law; I
    signed it. In other words, this is law. We're not talking about
    something that might happen. This is something that has already
    happened, and Congress, in its wisdom, gave us, I think, 2 years, if I'm
    not mistaken, to prepare our country, the 42 million seniors, for new
    options. And so I told Mark, ``Your job is to make sure that the 42
    million seniors get the word.''
        So what are you doing?
        Dr. McClellan. We are on schedule to
    bring those benefits to seniors on January 1, 2006, as you said. And the
    big challenge right now is to make sure everybody with Medicare and
    everybody and their families and friends who care about them gets the
    facts so that they can make an informed decision. This is a voluntary
    new benefit, as you said, so people need to make a decision about it to
    sign up.
        The President. Right, and there's the timetable I talked about;
    there's the phone number I talked about--1-800-MEDICARE; medicare.gov.
        Now, here's what we're--here's part of our strategy. First, we're
    appealing to the sons and daughters of--to talk to their mom or dad
    about this program. And it's very important--if you want to be a good
    son or daughter, be responsible. Learn what we're talking about here,
    study it, and sit down with your mom and dad and talk about whether or
    not they want to choose one of the plans.
        Dr. McClellan. And we can give you
    some information right now. No matter how you get your Medicare today--a
    lot of people have retiree coverage, the new Medicare benefit can help
    them strengthen that coverage. A lot of people are getting

    [[Page 1272]]

    coverage here in Georgia through a Medicare advantage plan, the Medicare
    health plan; you can get extra drug benefits through those plans. And a
    lot of people are struggling, Mr. President, with no help at all paying
    for their prescription drugs, especially people with limited means who
    are having to choose between medicine and other basic necessities like
    food and rent.
        The President. Talk about the program--I've said it--come back
    behind me here, on the low-income seniors.
        Dr. McClellan. That's right. You said
    it's a simple application. I'll tell you one thing, it's really simple.
    It's four pages. It's 16 questions.
        The President. And that four--first of all, the four-page thing
    didn't sound----
        Dr. McClellan. Big type.
        The President. ----simple to some people. All right.
        Dr. McClellan. That's right. There are
    a total of 16 questions. And a lot of times----
        The President. Four questions a page. [Laughter]
        Dr. McClellan. That's right. And let
    me do a little bit more math.
        The President. Okay, yes. [Laughter]
        Dr. McClellan. The drug benefit for
    lower-income people, for people with limited means--about a third of all
    our beneficiaries are eligible--it's worth close to $4,000. It's very
    comprehensive. It's just a few dollars for each prescription. So if you
    do that math, that works out to about $1,000 a page. [Laughter]
        The President. A page, very good. This is a good deal. You know, as
    I told a group a while ago, they said--they hear a politician say,
    ``It's a good deal,'' they're thinking, ``Yes, check is in the mail.''
    [Laughter] I really want you to take this seriously. And I expect,
    again, sons and daughters and grassroots activists and people involved
    with seniors to take a look at this. If you don't, you're doing a
    disservice to seniors. At the very minimum, you ought to take a look at
    what we're talking about. If you're a low-income senior, you need to get
    the form and fill it out. It will help you a lot. It will help you a
    lot. It's a--this is a compassionate piece of legislation.
        Now, part of our strategy is to rely upon folks other than
    Government employees, and we've got two folks involved with making sure
    people understand what we're talking about. And one of them, we're going
    to start with Hugh Chancy.
        Hugh, where do you live?
        Hugh Chancy. Mr. President, it's a pleasure
    and honor to be here. I'm Hugh Chancy. I'm from Hahira, Georgia.
        The President. Hahira. How many people in Hahira?
        Mr. Chancy. We have a population of about
    1,800.
        The President. That's good, yes. Three times bigger than Crawford.
    [Laughter] And your business?
        Mr. Chancy. I have a family business. My
    father was a pharmacist and started a pharmacy in 1966, and my brother
    and I inherited it. And I went off to the University of Georgia and
    married my sweetheart, Tina Chancy. Tina and my son, Patrick and Austin,
    are here with me today, the better part of my family.
        The President. Let's don't segue to SEC football, if you don't mind.
    [Laughter] Keep it on the subject. So you got yourself a pharmacy----
        Mr. Chancy. Right, have two pharmacies.
        The President. Two pharmacies.
        Mr. Chancy. I have another pharmacy in a
    small town above Hahira--Adel, Georgia.
        The President. You bet, right around the corner. [Laughter] The
    reason why we've asked you to come is because pharmacists all across the
    State of Georgia understand they have a fantastic opportunity now to
    provide a good service to their customers.

    [At this point, Mr. Chancy, pharmacist and owner, Chancy Drugs, and
    president, Georgia Pharmacy Association, Hahira, GA, made further
    remarks.]

    [[Page 1273]]

        The President. Isn't that fantastic? I thank you for doing that. If
    you're a Georgia pharmacist, call your president--this
    president. [Laughter] You can call me. I don't
    know if you'll get the phone call returned or not, but become involved.
    I mean, this is--it's in your interest, by the way, that people
    understand the new drug benefit.
        And I want to thank you for--and your organization for providing a
    kindly service to help people. You said something interesting. There's--
    a lot of seniors are concerned about change--in other words, they hear
    change, and they're not sure if it's good or bad. Again, if it's
    voluntary, it ought to, first of all, help ease people's concerns. In
    other words, if you're happy with where you are, don't worry; nothing
    changes. But at least be wise enough to take a look and see what's
    available.
        And so what we're--I think you're going to get the drift here, that
    we're going to rally the grassroots all across the country to make sure
    people are aware of what is available.
        Speaking about rally--good job, by the way. You handled it well.
    Looking forward to seeing the sweetheart.
        Dorothy. Dorothy Leone-Glasser.
        Dorothy Leone-Glasser. Yes, sir.
        The President. Is that accurate?
        Ms. Leone-Glasser. Close enough.
        The President. You're employed. Close enough, well--George Z. Bush.
    [Laughter] Close enough, but it's not my name. [Laughter] Anyway----
        Ms. Leone-Glasser. No, it's
    Glasser.
        The President. Glasser--just what I was saying, Glasser. [Laughter] Where do you work?
        Ms. Leone-Glasser. I own a Wisdom
    of Wellness Project company, but I'm a nurse practitioner and a wellness
    counselor.
        The President. Fabulous. Right here in Atlanta?
        Ms. Leone-Glasser. Yes, for 25
    years.
        The President. Good. And how are you going to be involved in the
    Medicare program rollout?
        Ms. Leone-Glasser. I have been
    involved for at least the last 3 years. I was involved initially in
    signing up people for their prescription drug card----
        The President. Really. Good.
        Ms. Leone-Glasser. ----and helping
    enroll them in that. And I want people to know how important it is with
    the new Part D of Medicare that's going to be coming January 1st in
    2006, that they realize that it's not just a prescription drug card, but
    there are some other wonderful benefits that are coming for Medicare
    recipients. And remember, this is also sometimes children and people who
    are seriously ill on disability. And they're going to be getting a
    physical exam, like you said, to be able to not only screen for other
    diseases, but it's part of what everyone will receive on Medicare. And
    also, they're going to get other screenings that are going to be so
    important to them.
        The President. What she's saying
    is, we've modernized the program. Can you imagine a program that didn't
    provide preventive care? It wasn't a very modern program. And so we've
    modernized it. This is also a program that now provides a very good
    prescription drug benefit. You know why? Because medicine had changed,
    and it seemed to make sense to bring Medicare into the modern world. If
    you're going to have a program that says we're going to give health care
    to our seniors, shouldn't it be modern? Shouldn't it provide modern
    medicine? And that's precisely what we're doing for our seniors, right?

    [Ms. Leone-Glasser made further remarks.]

        The President. Well, thanks for saying that. Dorothy is a part of a grassroots movement. Mark, she said we've got to make sure that docs understand.
    What are you doing to make sure docs understand?
        Dr. McClellan. That's right. Well,
    health professionals are where people turn first

    [[Page 1274]]

    for advice about anything related to their health. The new Medicare
    benefits are part of that. The pharmacists, nurses, physicians are going
    to be very much involved in seniors getting assistance with
    understanding the new prescription drug benefit.
        So we've got targeted kinds of materials. We've worked with medical
    professional groups, pharmacist groups, nursing groups, physician
    groups, to have material that doctors and pharmacists and nurses can use
    in their practices. They don't want any extra burden. They're very busy
    taking care of patients now. They want help for their patients, as you
    just heard, so that their patients can get the up-to-date care, and the
    materials that we're giving out can help them do that.
        The President. Part of making sure our seniors are feeling good
    about themselves and life is to make sure the retirement system works.
    You heard me talking about Social Security earlier. I want to talk to
    two Social Security beneficiaries--you've got to speak in the mike.
        Frances Heverly. I forget. I've never
    done it.
        The President. Yes, well, it's an interesting experience, isn't it?
        Mrs. Heverly. Can you hear me?
        The President. I can hear you loud and clear.
        Former First Lady Bush. She's 91.
        The President. I know she's 91,
    Mom. [Laughter] She doesn't look a day over 90.
    [Laughter]
        Mrs. Heverly. I'm a little over that.
        The President. Are you? Frances Heverly,
    where were you raised?
        Mrs. Heverly. In Pennsylvania.
        The President. And how did you work your way down here to this great
    city?
        Mrs. Heverly. Well, my family came down
    here, and I didn't have anybody left up north, so I came down with them.
        The President. Glad you're here. I want to make sure people like
    Frances hear the message that they're getting a Social Security check,
    and nothing's going to change. Are you getting a Social Security check?
        Mrs. Heverly. I sure am, and I
    appreciate it. [Laughter]
        The President. So you're saying it's an important program.
        Mrs. Heverly. It sure is.
        The President. There's a lot of people around Georgia and around
    this country who feel just like Frances does, and they understand how
    important--they say the program is important. And you've got to know, I
    understand how important it is for people. There's a lot of people who
    rely only on their Social Security check. And therefore, you can imagine
    my concern when I hear people say, well--to people like Frances--``You better worry, because when they start
    talking about modernizing Social Security, they're really talking about
    taking away your check.'' And that's not fair.
        Are your friends worried about their checks?
        Mrs. Heverly. Not really.
        The President. Good.
        Mrs. Heverly. Not where I live.
    Everybody is pretty happy there.
        The President. That's good. [Laughter] Now, let me ask you
    something. Have you begun to hear the message that the Social Security
    system is in trouble, not for you but for a generation of people coming
    up? Is that beginning to get out there?
        Mrs. Heverly. Yes, yes.
        The President. And do you expect somebody to do something about it?
        Mrs. Heverly. Well, I'm expecting you to
    do something about it. [Laughter]
        The President. In America, we have three branches of Government.
    [Laughter] I am going to try to do something about it.
        Mrs. Heverly. I know you are.
        The President. And you ought to keep expecting people, not just me
    but people from both political parties to do something about it.
        Mrs. Heverly. I agree with you.

    [[Page 1275]]

        The President. They really ought to--we're not doing our job unless
    we do something about it. That's why I was proud to bring it up in the
    State of the Union. I don't know, I think this may be the--I can't
    remember--I've done a lot of visits like this around the country on
    Social Security. I like them; it gets me out of town. [Laughter] But I
    think it's important. Part of my job is to educate people. As you
    notice, we're talking about educating people on Medicare. So I'm going
    to keeping talking about Social Security--it's important for people to
    be educated about the problem that's coming.
        If you're a younger worker, you'd better pay attention to this
    issue. I'm glad to hear Frances say she's comfortable with understanding
    she's going to get her check, and she is. But if you're a younger
    person, if you're getting into the workforce right now, I'd pay
    attention to this issue if I were you, because, as you know, the first
    thing that happens to you is--after you get your first paycheck--is
    recovering from the shock of that payroll tax deduction. [Laughter]
    Well, that's going into a system that's going bankrupt, and you need to
    hold people to account that have asked for your vote and that are
    serving for you, in order to get this solved.
        Carol, Carol Lowing.
        Carol Lowing. Hello, how are you?
        The President. I am great. Having the time of my life, by the way.
    You know why?
        Mrs. Lowing. I'm really thrilled that
    you're here.
        The President. Thank you. I'm glad you said, ``Gosh, I wish
    Laura were here and not you,'' but--[laughter]--
    it happens all the time.
        Mrs. Lowing. Oh, I'd never say that.
        The President. No, I'm saying, I'm glad you didn't say that, but I'm
    not surprised if you would. [Laughter]
        Good, you're on--getting Social Security and Medicare.
        Mrs. Lowing. Yes, definitely. I'm here
    today with my husband, almost 50 years married, and we still talk.

    [Mrs. Lowing, retiree, Dacula, GA, made further remarks.]

        The President. Well, thank you. There is misinformation, and the
    only way to try to correct the truth--I mean, look, you're going to get
    your checks if you've retired. And I just got to keep saying it over and
    over and over again, because the truth of the matter is, you're right;
    some people aren't interested in these reforms, and one way to stop the
    reforms is to put out misinformation. And people are going to get their
    checks.
        Now, it's really interesting what her
    grandson says--he said, ``You know, go for it.'' In other words, give me
    a chance to invest some of my own money. What has changed in America is
    this 401(k) culture. When I was coming up, my mother and I never sat around and talked about 401(k)s
    because they didn't exist--or IRAs.
        But our society--there's a group of people coming up in our society
    today who are used to managing their own money. They've seen a 401(k),
    and they've seen an IRA, and they've seen their assets grow, and they
    are comfortable with managing a mix of bonds and stocks. And by the way,
    you can't take your money, under this idea, and put in the lottery. In
    other words, there's a go-by. These plans are managed plans. They give
    you a chance to invest in a conservative mix. We're not interested in
    setting up a program and having somebody lose it all at the dice table.
    That's not how it works.
        And this has happened--people who are in a 401(k) know what I'm
    talking about--or in an IRA. And what we're interested in is getting a
    decent rate of return on your money, because over time, it grows and it
    compounds. It's called the compounding rate of interest. And it's
    important that that money be allowed to compound and grow. So your
    grandson is wise

    [[Page 1276]]

    in saying, ``I want a chance to watch my money grow over the next 30 or
    40 years,'' money that will be a part of a retirement account.
        And so my job is to keep talking, assuring seniors that you're going
    to get your check. I hope your neighborhood is listening. Because
    they're going to get their check. And your grandson, obviously, is
    listening because he understands he isn't going to get one--[laughter]--
    unless the Federal Government stops playing party politics and focuses
    on the good of the United States of America. That's what we're here to
    talk about.
        I want to thank again--I want to thank the Chamber for giving us a
    chance to come by and say hello. I am so grateful that we had a chance
    to explain to the good folks of Atlanta and whoever else is listening
    that there's a really interesting opportunity for seniors when it comes
    to good health care through Medicare. And there's an opportunity for
    those of us who have entered politics to solve problems, to do so when
    it comes to Social Security. These are important issues for today's
    seniors, and they're important issues for people who are going to
    retire.
        In other words, this is a generational issue. Social Security is a
    generational issue. And again, I repeat, I want the youngsters who are
    paying attention to this to understand the consequences of inactivity.
    And if you see inactivity, I would strongly urge you to get involved in
    the system and let people know that you're not happy with what's going
    on. It's time for us to address this problem head on.
         We're in the process of making changes in Medicare. If you want to
    be involved, please do so. Call 1-800-MEDICARE. Find out if the program
    is right for your grandmother or grandfather, your mom or dad. If you're
    running a community-based program, call 1-800-MEDICARE and find out how
    we can get materials to you. If you're interested in your church or your
    synagogue or your mosque or your religious organization and you want to
    help the seniors who attend there, find out what we're talking about.
    Just take a look at the brochures--it won't take long--and then give
    somebody some good advice. Say, ``Here are the options. It's your choice
    to make.'' I think you're going to find this to be a really exciting way
    to help our seniors get a modernized health care system.
        Thank you all for letting us come by. May God bless you all, and may
    God continue to bless our country.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:58 a.m. at the Boisfeuillet Jones
    Atlanta Civic Center. In his remarks, he referred to Thomas D. Bell,
    Jr., chairman of the board of directors, and Sam A. Williams, president,
    Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia and his
    wife, Mary; James W. Wagner, president, Emory University; and Robert C.
    Pozen, former member, President's Commission to Strengthen Social
    Security.