    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [August 29, 2005]
    [Pages 1365-1373]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in a Discussion on Medicare in Rancho Cucamonga, California
    August 29, 2005

        The President. Thank you, David. Thank
    you very much. Thank you. Be seated, please. Thank you all for coming.
    Please be seated. Thank you. So David said we went to this school
    together; it was called a charm school. [Laughter] I never won my seat
    for Congress. He did. Obviously, it took on him and not on me.
    [Laughter] But I want to thank him for his introduction. I want to thank
    him for his leadership. David Dreier cares a lot about a lot of issues.
    One of the issues that he's been

    [[Page 1366]]

    talking to me a lot about is to make sure the Federal Government does
    its job in enforcing our borders to keep illegal folks out of our
    country.
        And I want to assure you--I don't know if you remember this, but I
    had a job prior to President; I was the Governor of a border State. And
    I understand the challenges of enforcing our border. I understand the
    Federal Government has a role, and State government has a role, and
    local government has a role. And my pledge to the people of California
    is that the Federal Government will work closely with the State
    government and local government to provide assets, manpower, detention
    space, to do our duty, and that is to make sure this border of ours is
    secure.
        And so I want to thank you on your leadership on that issue,
    David, and I thank you for working with us
    on that important issue.
        I'm traveling in good company. I'm not talking about Dreier at this point--[laughter]--I'm talking about my
    wife, the First Lady. Thanks for coming, Laura.
    We're both very excited to come to your great State, and it is a great
    State. We were met at the airport by Congressman Ken Calvert. I appreciate you being here, Ken. Thanks for coming.
    Congressman Gary Miller as well is with us,
    as is Congressman Joe Baca. Thank you all for being
    here.
        I knew Brulte would amount to something one
    of these days. [Laughter] He got something named after him. I'm honored
    to be here with my friend Jim Brulte at the Brulte Center.
        I want to thank Mayor Bill Alexander of Rancho Cucamonga. Bill, thank you for having us here
    today. I appreciate your hospitality. I want to thank Mayor Paul
    Leon of Ontario. Paul, thanks for being at the
    airport today.
        I appreciate all the statehouse folks who are here and county folks
    and the local folks for joining us. Most of all, thank you all for
    giving me a chance to come by and discuss a really interesting
    opportunity for our seniors, and that is a reformed Medicare plan.
        Before I get to Medicare, I got some other things I want to talk
    about. First, I want to remind you that the great strength of this
    country lies in the hearts and souls of our volunteers. We're a nation
    that is a compassionate, decent nation, where millions of our fellow
    citizens volunteer on a regular basis to help a neighbor in need. I met
    one such person today in Joe Graff. Joe is with
    us. He's been a volunteer with the Ontario Police Department for 15
    years. Joe assists the police personnel with traffic control and parking
    tickets. If you've got one, you might want to call Joe. [Laughter]
        But my point to you is, if you really do want to help your local
    community, if you want to help change America one heart at a time, take
    time out of your life and volunteer. Teach a child to read; tell
    somebody you love them; feed the hungry; and America will be a better
    place.
        Joe, thanks for coming. I appreciate you being
    here.
        As David said, we're praying for the
    folks that have been affected by this Hurricane Katrina. We're in
    constant contact with the local officials down there. The storm is
    moving through, and we're now able to assess damage or beginning to
    assess damage. And I want the people to know in the affected areas that
    the Federal Government and the State government and the local
    governments will work side by side to do all we can to help get your
    lives back in order.
        This was a terrible storm. It's a storm that hit with a lot of
    ferocity. It's a storm now that is moving through, and now it's the time
    for governments to help people get their feet on the ground.
        For those of you who prayed for the folks in that area, I want to
    thank you for your prayers. For those of you who are concerned about
    whether or not we're prepared to help, don't be. We are. We're in place.
    We've got equipment in place,

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    supplies in place. And once the--once we're able to assess the damage,
    we'll be able to move in and help those good folks in the affected
    areas.
        David also mentioned that we're making
    progress overseas. And we are making progress overseas. Recently, the
    Iraqis came together and wrote a constitution. It's not easy to write a
    constitution. Look at our own history. I was reminded that several of
    the delegates to our own Constitutional Convention stormed out and
    wouldn't sign the document.
        But now it's up to the Iraqi citizens to make up their minds whether
    or not they want to live in a constitution. It's a constitution, by the
    way, that guarantees women's rights. It's a constitution that guarantees
    religious freedom. It is a good document forged by compromise. It's a
    document where people came together to say, let's do what's right for a
    fledgling democracy. It's a document that stands in stark contrast to
    the days when the people's lives were run by a tyrant.
        We're doing everything we can to bring the terrorists to justice.
    They've only got one weapon. They have no ideology of hope. They have no
    optimistic vision. The only thing they can do is to murder innocent
    people and hope that we lose our will. The success in Iraq is vital for
    success--for peace for our children and grandchildren. And therefore,
    the United States of America and our coalition will continue to work
    with the Iraqis to build a democracy, continue to build--to lay the
    foundation of peace, and continue to help the Iraqis train and prepare
    so they can defend their own country against the tyrants.
        David's right; it was right here in
    2000, I talked about Social Security. I want to repeat right quick what
    I said: ``If you're retired and receiving a Social Security check, you
    have nothing to worry about. You will get your check.'' You'll get your
    check. But you need to worry about your children and your grandchildren.
        See, there's a lot of baby boomers like me getting ready to retire.
    Matter of fact, my retirement age is in 2008. Quite convenient.
    [Laughter] And there's a lot of me. There's a lot of baby boomers. And
    we're living longer, and we've been promised greater benefits than
    previous generations. And yet there are fewer people paying into the
    system. Now, if you add all that up, what I'm telling you is, it's going
    broke for younger workers. If you're receiving your check, you're in
    good shape. You have not a thing to worry about. Isn't that right?
        But you need to worry about the young workers who are putting money
    into the system that is not going to be around. I'm going to keep
    working this issue. I believe it is essential that a President confront
    problems and not pass them on to future Presidents and future
    Congresses, and I believe it's essential this Congress act.
        So in other words, I hadn't changed my mind since I came here to
    talk about Social Security. The other thing I worked on with Members of
    Congress was to fulfill our promise to our seniors that they'd have as
    good a health care system as possible. Medicare is a really important
    program; except Medicare wasn't modern. When we got to--when I got to
    Washington, it was a system that was kind of stuck in the past. I'll
    tell you why. Medicare would pay for heart surgery but not a dime for
    the drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the
    first place. It would pay $28,000 for ulcer surgery but not $500 for the
    prescription drugs that could prevent the ulcer from occurring in the
    first place.
        That's not a modern system. That's an antiquated system. And not
    only that, it was costing the taxpayers more money than necessary. It
    seems like to me it makes fiscal sense to say, ``Let's spend the $500 to
    prevent the 28,000 from being needed.'' It's a wise use of your money,
    it seems like to me. But we weren't doing it that way.

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        And so I called upon Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, to
    work together to modernize the Medicare system. And what we're here to
    talk about is a strengthened Medicare program. And the reason we're
    having to travel around to do so is because I fully understand a lot of
    people don't want to change. In other words, people who are on Medicare
    say, ``Look, just leave me alone. I'm not interested.'' And if that's
    the way you feel, that's fine. This is voluntary program. But what I
    want to hear--want you to hear is there are some really good options for
    you to choose from if you want to. In other words, there's a menu of
    opportunity now available to you.
        If you've just recently signed up for Medicare, you know one of the
    reforms that we've put in place. It's called ``Welcome to Medicare''
    physical. For the first time in Medicare, the Government is now paying
    for a physical. Makes sense, doesn't it? Why don't we test you early so
    we can solve the problems early.
        There's preventive medicine involved with Medicare now, and that's
    important. But the big change is going to come when it comes to
    prescription drug coverage. Seniors with no drug coverage or average
    drug expenses will see your drug costs cut in half. In other words, you
    take a look at this program, you're going to have some big savings when
    it comes to drugs.
        And for the first time ever, we got catastrophic coverage as a part
    of Medicare. In other words, once you're out of your pocket a certain
    amount of money, the Government kicks in for a lot of the remainder. You
    see, this is a quality-of-life bill, but it's also a peace-of-mind bill.
    In other words, it's a chance to really modernize the system, on the one
    hand, but it's also to provide security on the other. And that's why
    there's a catastrophic coverage in there.
        If you're a low-income senior, you will virtually pay nothing for
    your prescription drugs. And that's important for you to know. If you're
    a low-income senior, the Federal Government will pick up at least 95
    percent of your prescription drug coverage. There will be no gaps in
    your coverage. There will be low deductibles.
        And so we're here to try to encourage you, as seniors, to look at
    the different options for you. You know, for example, we're going--
    you'll hear from some of your fellow citizens--or our fellow citizens up
    here, and they're talking about Medicare Advantage Plans. If you're on a
    Medicare Advantage Plan, these plans will be strengthened under this
    reform package. If you're getting your health care from your union or
    your former employer, there's incentives in the bill to provide monies
    to make sure that your provider still provides you the health care. In
    other words, it's a comprehensive piece of legislation, and it's a good
    one. It's a good one.
        I know that you wept, like many of us wept, when we heard stories
    about people having to choose between food or medicine. Those days are
    gone because of this Medicare legislation. Now, we got us a timetable
    that people have got to pay attention to. It starts with this: On
    October the 1st, beneficiaries start receiving information about
    available drug plans. In other words, the Government is going to start
    making sure information is available for you all to understand that
    which is available to you, if you so choose to pick one, a different
    plan. And that starts October the 1st.
        On November the 15th, you can start signing up for a plan that suits
    your needs. Again, I repeat: If you're happy with what you've got, don't
    worry about it. Just kind of take the paperwork and file it. [Laughter]
    But if you're interested in different options, look at the information
    that's being sent and know that starting November 15th, you can enroll,
    and starting January 1, 2006, for the first time, thanks to this piece
    of legislation, prescription drug benefits will--prescription drug
    coverage will begin for our seniors. And you got up until May 15, 2006,
    to sign up to pay the lowest premiums.

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        Now, our job is to make sure that a lot of people know what's
    coming. In other words, our job is to encourage people at the State
    level and the local level and the Federal level to educate seniors. And
    that's what we're doing here today.
        I put a good man in charge of this program, and that's Dr. Mark
    McClellan. He's from Texas--[laughter]--
    which means he knows how to get something done. He's got him a Ph.D.----
        Audience members. Oooh!
        The President. Now, wait a minute. [Laughter] If I had said
    California, he'd have got things done too.
    [Laughter] I'm just telling you, he can get it done. That's why he's
    sitting where he's sitting. He's a Ph.D. Here you got on stage a C
    student and a Ph.D., and look who's President. He's also an M.D. But
    he's also responsible for making sure that information gets out. By the
    way, if you're interested in information, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or
    medicare.gov.
        Mark, tell them what you've been
    doing.
        Mark B. McClellan. We've been working
    to make sure that people know about the options that are coming, and
    there are some really good options for people here in California by the
    way, where I used to practice medicine before coming into Government,
    right here in northern California----
        The President. See? [Laughter]
        Dr. McClellan. ----and in southern
    California as well. We've got a number of plan choices that are going to
    be available that are a lot less expensive than people thought.
        When this bill was first passed, people were talking about the
    coverage costing around $37 a month. Well, what we know from the plans
    that are going to be available here in California, the costs are going
    to average only around $25 a month out here, and there will be plan
    choices available to seniors and people with a disability for less than
    $20 a month. And many of them will provide extra coverage.
        So this is worth taking a look at. And as you said, Mr. President,
    it's designed to work with the coverage that you have now. If you're
    lucky enough to have drug coverage from an employer, you can now get
    help from Medicare in paying for that employer coverage. If you've got a
    Medicare Advantage Plan, one of the Medicare health plans that offers
    some drug coverage now, well, those plans are going to offer more drug
    coverage next year. So no matter what situation you're in, you can get
    help with your drug costs from Medicare, and that help is looking
    especially good right here in California.
        The President. One of the things that--if you want to apply for the
    benefits for low-income seniors, you have to fill out a form. I know
    that generally frightens people. It frightens me. A four-page form, that
    sounds like a lot. You'll be pleased to hear it's big print--16
    questions on 4 pages. And the Social Security Administration has mailed
    out those forms.
        Dr. McClellan. That's right. They've
    sent letters out to millions of people who they think are eligible for
    this coverage, because a lot of people who don't think of themselves as
    low income, but are struggling with their drug costs, are actually
    eligible for this. The eligibility goes up to people living on incomes
    up to close to $20,000 a year for a couple. So that's most people who
    are trying to get by month to month just on their Social Security check.
        The President. So it's really important to look into this program,
    and it's important to take a look at the forms. And for those of you out
    there who are trying to help our seniors, it's important for you to
    understand what I'm talking about. Part of making sure this works and
    part of making sure that the information is spread throughout our
    society, is sons and daughters need to pay attention to this program.
    You need to do your duty as a son or a daughter and get this information
    to your moms or your dads. That's what you need to do.

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    You need to make sure that you help investigate what's possible and not
    miss a really good opportunity.
        This is a good deal, and therefore, you need to follow through on
    it. And part of the process is to fill out this form. And it's not all
    that hard, but if you get stuck, there's a way to get unstuck on filling
    out the form.
        Dr. McClellan. That's right. Just fill
    out the questions that you think you can answer. Send it in. Social
    Security will call you back and help you fill out the rest.
        And, Mr. President, this is extra help worth about $4,000
    altogether, so it's about $1,000 a page for people filling out this
    application. It's very comprehensive drug coverage--no premiums, no
    deductibles, just a few dollars, usually, for the cost of your
    prescription, all for just a four-page form.
        The President. Mark has been on the
    road with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and others on a grassroots campaign, because we understood
    when this started coming out that we needed to do a lot of education.
    Again, I repeat: Some folks simply don't want any change, and I
    understand that completely. But I urge you to take a look, and you'll
    find more options available. You see, the more options that are
    available, the more likely there's going to get--you're going to get
    what you want. And if you're a low-income senior, you've got to take
    advantage of the Government program. It is a good deal.
        Now, part of making sure that we're able to get the word out is
    we're rallying grassroots organizations. One such organization is Larry
    Krutchik's organization.
        Larry, thank you for coming. Tell the
    people what it is.

    [At this point, Larry Krutchik, regional director, Medicare Today, made
    brief remarks.]

        The President. I appreciate that. Isn't that great? I mean, to me,
    it's--I appreciate you doing that, and I want you to thank the
    volunteers who are working on this program on behalf of the seniors who
    are going to benefit from it.
        If you're going to a church and you're interested in the project,
    why don't you help the elderly in your church understand that which is
    coming? Why don't you take a little time and find out the programs
    available and find out--get the forms and help somebody? This is a good
    deal. I know it may--you're probably saying, ``Another politician saying
    it's a good deal.'' [Laughter] I'm telling you, it is. And it makes
    sense to pay attention to it.
        And we understand we have an obligation to get out and make the
    information available. It's your choice. The Government is not telling
    you what to do, but the Government is saying here's some interesting
    opportunities for you.
        And Larry, I want to thank you for being
    out there and making those opportunities available.
        We got another fellow here--Ken Morris. Ken,
    thanks for coming. What do you do to make a living?

    [Ken Morris, pharmacist, made brief remarks.]

        The President. One of the interesting places where we're able to
    make this program better known is at the pharmacies. I mean, it makes
    sense if you're going to pick up a prescription drug and the pharmacist
    is the point of contact and the pharmacist says, ``Hey, look, here's a
    new thing coming down.'' And we've got a lot of pharmacists from around
    the United States who have signed up to help, and I want to thank the
    pharmacists for doing that.
        What do you find when you hear--give us a sense of what you're
    hearing out there.
        Mr. Morris. Well, it's long overdue. The
    seniors are welcoming this plan with open arms, as are health care
    professionals such as myself. It's heartbreaking for me to deal with
    seniors that come in, as you had mentioned, maybe with a heart surgery
    and to find out that they've now got a list of a

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    half-dozen medications and they're trying to make a decision on which
    ones to take because they can't afford to take all of them. So it's
    tough; it's a long time coming.
        The President. But are people beginning to become aware that there's
    a new Medicare bill that had been passed and some options are now
    becoming available?
        Mr. Morris. Yes, I think so. As we get a
    little closer, I think, to October, I think the questions will start
    ramping up. But at this point, people have been getting mailings. We
    just need to make sure that they understand exactly what the plan is
    about.
        The President. Yes. There's a great opportunity for those of you out
    there who want to help a senior citizen in your neighborhood, is to
    help. Get on the Internet, medicare.gov. Look it up. Find out what we're
    talking about. Make sure what we're talking about is exactly what the
    Government has got available. I think it is. I think you're going to
    find out what we're--what Mark and I are
    telling you is exactly what's going to happen. But it's a fantastic
    opportunity.
        And again, I want to thank the pharmacists. I want to thank the
    community activists, the grassroots organizers. This, by the way, isn't
    a Republican deal or a Democrat deal; this is good for America. It
    doesn't matter what your party is when it comes to Medicare. We just
    want to make sure, and the Government has an obligation to make sure,
    you got a modern system that works well so that you can live in dignity.
    They ought to call this the ``You've Retired in Dignity'' bill, because
    it's a good piece of legislation.
        And we've got some folks up here who are concerned about their
    Social Security or Medicare. Joan Gest is with us.
    Thanks for coming.
        Joan Gest. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. Proud you're here. She's----
        Ms. Gest. Very happy to be here.
        The President. Her sole source of income is
    Social Security, by the way. I could tell--she was looking at me when I
    first walked in the room to meet her. She was wondering whether or not
    old George W. is going to take away her Social Security check.
        Ms. Gest. I sure hope not.
        The President. The answer is no. You're going to get your check.
        Ms. Gest. Thank you, sir.
        The President. You deserve it.
        Ms. Gest. And I'm on Medicare, and there's
    been times that I've had drugs that I refused to take because they were
    too expensive.
        The President. Yes.
        Ms. Gest. And I think this plan could help me.
    And as a volunteer at Kaiser Hospital and as a community representative
    for downtown Fontana, I'm hoping to pass this word along to some of our
    organizations in town and some of our service groups and some of our
    senior citizens homes. And I hope that I'm able to do that.
        The President. See, that's great, isn't it? Here she is somebody who was wondering what the program means for
    her and as well is willing to spread the word. And I hope people who
    are--thank you for doing that. Thank you for volunteering too.
        Ms. Gest. Thank you. I'm a mother of five
    children.
        The President. Five children.
        Ms. Gest. Five step-children.
        The President. Fantastic.
        Ms. Gest. Twenty-seven grandchildren.
        The President. Whew.
        Ms. Gest. And three great-grandchildren. And I
    have a son, Mike, out in the audience today that----
        The President. Mike listening to you?
        Ms. Gest. He better be.
        The President. Yes. [Laughter] Kind of like my family. [Laughter]
        Joan, one of the most things--proud things--
    one of the things she was most proud to tell me about was the fact that
    she loves to volunteer. And that's one of

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    the great parts of the American spirit, is people like Joan are willing
    to--she's willing to take time to make somebody's life better. So I want
    to thank you for that. Thank you for passing the word.
        Ms. Gest. Thank you.
        The President. You betcha.
        Myrtle Jones. Where do you live, Myrtle?
        Myrtle Jones. I live in Rancho Cucamonga.
        The President. Yes. Right here with the home folks.
        Ms. Jones. Yes, I am. And I've participated
    here--since 1988 I've belonged here.
        The President. That's good.
        Ms. Jones. And I'm a retired management. I
    managed three dry-cleaning establishments, and then I retired and did
    some in-home nursing and retired from that. And now I'm an elder in my
    church, and I volunteer here and do a lot of work here. And I also have
    three wonderful children: Rod, Dorothy, and Richard. I have six
    grandchildren, five great-grandchildren.
        The President. Whew.
        Ms. Jones. And I have managed on my own
    without the help from them. [Laughter]
        The President. Yes, take that. [Laughter]

    [Ms. Jones made brief remarks.]

        The President. Myrtle, you need to get that
    four-page form, and you need to look at it, and you need to fill it out.
        Ms. Jones. I will.
        The President. Because I think you're going to find the strengthened
    Medicare program is going to help you a lot.
        Ms. Jones. Oh, it will.
        The President. It really will.
        Ms. Jones. It really will.
        The President. The purpose of coming here today--thank you all for
    doing this, by the way. The purpose of coming was to encourage--good
    job. The purpose of coming was to inform as many folks as we can,
    obviously, in person and on TV, that Medicare has been strengthened, and
    Medicare has been modernized, and that if you're really interested in
    helping a senior or a senior helping yourself, look into this plan. Look
    into what's available.
        And you can find out on medicare.gov, or you can call 1-800-
    MEDICARE. If you get a form, fill it out. When they send you a form to
    determine whether or not you're going to be eligible for this enhanced
    drug benefit from the Federal Government, fill it out. It doesn't do any
    harm to fill it out, and if you need help, somebody will help you fill
    it out.
        The Government has an obligation to our seniors to provide a health
    care system. We have done that for years. Now we took it upon ourselves
    to make sure the health care system we provided was strong and modern,
    and we have done that. And pretty soon, people are going to be able to
    make choices if they want to. And our job at the Government level and
    job at the grassroot level and jobs in the community centers and
    community groups is to help people understand what's available.
        I want to thank you all for giving me and Laura a chance to come back to Rancho Cucamonga. It's a
    beautiful place you got here. We appreciate your hospitality. May God
    bless you all. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:40 p.m. at the James L. Brulte Senior
    Center. In his remarks, he referred to former California State Senator
    Jim Brulte; Mayor William ``Bill'' J. Alexander of Rancho Cucamonga, CA;
    Mayor Paul S. Leon of Ontario, CA; and former President Saddam Hussein
    of Iraq.

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