[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

[[Page 1270]]

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.