    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [March 14, 2006]
    [Page 478]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Visit to Ferris Hills at West Lake Senior Center in
    Canandaigua
    March 14, 2006

        The reason I have come is I'm trying to explain to people the
    benefits of a new Medicare program. Congressman Randy Kuhl asked me to come, and so I did. It shows how
    influential he is.
        I thought the system needed to be changed because it didn't provide
    a modern form of medicine. A lot of it was good, but some of it was
    stuck in the past. And so I worked with Congress to get a prescription
    drug benefit added on to Medicare. The problem is, is that when
    something changes, people get a little concerned. You know, they say,
    ``Well, I'm not so sure I want to see a change; I'm not so sure change
    is something that I'm interested in.'' And I knew that was going to be
    the case.
        But I also knew that if we could convince people who pay attention
    to take a look and see what options were available, that people would
    begin to make rational choices, particularly if they had some help. And
    so I want to thank the Thompson Health Care Group for helping. And as I
    said at the high school over there, I said, ``If your mom or dad could
    use a little Medicare, you owe them the opportunity to explain different
    options and show what's available.'' But the pharmacists are helping a
    lot to say, ``Look, you ought to take a look at the program.''
        So we're in your community to urge people to, you know, kind of step
    back, see what's available, design a program that meets your needs, if
    that's your interest, and it's going to save some money. That's the key,
    because this--the benefit is costing less than anticipated, as a result
    of competition and choice. It's really worthwhile looking at.
        I've spent a lot of time, as my administration spends a lot of time,
    talking about how to get people--information into people's hands. And so
    that's why we're here. Thank you for giving us a chance to come by and
    visit with you. It looks like you've got a beautiful facility.
        Okay, well, thanks to the press for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:09 p.m.