[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[April 11, 2006]
[Pages 697-705]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in a Discussion on Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits in 
Jefferson City, Missouri
April 11, 2006

    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Please be seated. 
Thank you. Cindy, thanks for the kind 
introduction. I want to thank the chamber for inviting me here, to what 
I think you'll find to be an interesting educational event; at least I 
hope so. As you can see, I mean, there's several ways to have an 
educational event. One is to put a podium out there and let me blow away 
for an hour, kind of talk and talk and talk. Another way is to have 
fellow citizens sit up here and discuss important policy issues. And 
that's what we're here to do today. We're here to discuss health care, 
particularly for our seniors. And so I want to thank you all for joining 
me.
    Most important, thank you all for a warm welcome. It's good to be 
back here in Missouri. My only regret is that Laura is not with me. She's actually in Midland, Texas. 
That's where I was raised and she was born and raised. She's doing a 
little event there, picking up her mom, bringing 
her up to Washington. Mother and Dad are coming too, so we're going to have Easter at 
Camp David. A little family affair which is--[applause]. And I'm looking 
forward to it.
    But I've also been looking forward to coming here as well. We just 
came from the Lutheran Senior Service Center. Carl Rausch--[applause]--yes, there you go. Thank you all. 
And we're about to have one of your fellow workers up here, as you'll note. The reason we were there is we 
were watching seniors sign up for the new Medicare drug benefit. In 
other words, we were at a facility where seniors had--

[[Page 698]]

where seniors were, and there were good souls from this part of the 
world saying to people, ``Here's what's available for you if you want to 
sign up.''
    What we're here today is to talk about health care for seniors. But 
before we get there, I do want to recognize Members of the United States 
Senate who have joined us--first, your senior Senator Kit Bond. Funny thing happened when we were 
crossing the river. [Laughter] He reminded me of how important that 
Missouri River is for getting farm product to market. I see the hat back 
there--thank you. Yes, sir. Kind of reminds me of home. [Laughter]
    And also traveling with us is a fellow who I've come to admire a lot 
as a straight shooter, Senator Jim Talent--
and the Congressman from this district, Kenny Hulshof. Kenny, I appreciate you. Thank you. Peter 
Kinder, Lieutenant Governor, has joined us; 
Governor, thanks for being here. Proud you're here. It's good to see you 
again.
    Most of all, thanks for coming. Health care is a vital issue for 
this country. In my judgment, the best health care plan is one that 
says, ``We'll help the poor; we'll help the elderly; and we'll make sure 
the doctor-patient relationship is solid for the rest of us.'' In other 
words, we don't want the Federal Government--we really don't want the 
Federal Government telling folks who--what to buy and how to buy it and 
what price to pay. We want there to be a relationship between doctors 
and patients. That's what we want.
    But our Government made a commitment to our seniors, and it's a 
commitment that I intended to keep when I went to Washington, DC. In 
other words, our commitment is our seniors should have first-class 
health care. That commitment, interestingly enough, was first signed by 
a fellow citizen from Texas named Lyndon Baines Johnson. And so I came 
to Washington, DC, and said, ``Are we doing as good a job as possible to 
provide modern medicine for our seniors?'' You see, once the Government 
makes a commitment, it ought to be a solid commitment; it ought to be a 
good commitment. There's no need to have a health care system for our 
seniors that doesn't meet needs. And one of the things I noticed in the 
analyzation of the health care system for seniors, analyzation of 
Medicare, was that medicine had changed but Medicare hadn't.
    I'll give you an example. Medicare would pay thousands and thousands 
and thousands of dollars for ulcer surgery but not a dime for the 
prescription drugs to help prevent the ulcer from occurring in the first 
place. That didn't make sense. It certainly didn't make sense for the 
seniors, did it? In other words, if you're going to have a modern 
system, you ought to have a system that says, pharmaceuticals have 
helped change medicine. And it certainly didn't make sense for the 
taxpayers. After all, if you would spend $50 a month to prevent ulcer 
surgery, and the surgery costs thousands to begin with, it saves money.
    And so I said to the people in Washington, DC, ``Let's modernize the 
system. Let's figure out how to make it work better for our seniors.'' A 
commitment made is a commitment we've got to keep. And we finally got a 
deal done, finally put aside needless politics. I must confess to you, 
Washington is full of needless politics. We can do a better job.
    We need to focus on big problems, and a big problem was that 
Medicare wasn't living up to its expectations. And I signed the bill, 
and I proudly signed it. And so this bill helps all seniors afford 
prescription drugs. It really helps a lot. It gives seniors choices.
    I knew this would be a problem at first. Some people just simply 
don't want to be confronted with choice. You kind of get settled in and 
everything seems to be going fine, and all of a sudden, up pops a new 
Medicare plan, and you've got 42 choices to choose from here in 
Missouri. And that can be a little confusing. I knew that would be the 
case.

[[Page 699]]

    On the other hand, I also knew there were thousands of fellow 
citizens who would be willing to go out and help people determine what 
choice suited their needs. See, I believe that people ought to be 
trusted. I don't think the Government ought to be making every decision 
on behalf of the citizens. I think the more that people--citizens are 
given choice in life, the better off it is to meet their needs. See, 
when you have the Government say, ``This is for you,'' sometimes it 
doesn't meet a person's needs. When you have a person say, ``Here's some 
options for you to choose from,'' it means you could design a program to 
meet your health care needs. And that's what we did in this new Medicare 
plan.
    And thirdly, one of the things the Medicare plan didn't have was 
catastrophic coverage. One of the things this drug plan says is that 
something may happen, out of your control, and therefore, you may have a 
big expenditure. And therefore, it seems to make sense that there would 
be catastrophic, kind of, stopgap coverage. And so over $3,600, the 
Government will pay 90 percent in this new plan. To me that makes sense. 
It gives somebody peace of mind. People say, everything seems to be 
going okay right now, but if something goes bad, the Government will 
help you. And so the new drug benefit that we're describing today has 
got a catastrophic component. And when people sign up, it should give 
you peace of mind, give your family peace of mind.
    Fourthly, it's--I recognize that certain people need help in our 
society. And therefore, if you're a low-income senior--about a third of 
the seniors qualify--the Government is going to pay over 90-something 
percent of your--95 percent of the bill. In other words, we recognize 
people need help in this society; we're a compassionate society. And so 
the drug benefit, if you're a low-income senior, is really going to 
help. It's going to help all seniors. Matter of fact, it's estimated 
that all seniors' drug bills are cut in half under this program. And if 
you're a low-income senior, it's especially beneficial. And that's the 
way it should be.
    I remember the debate in Washington, DC--the language gets a little 
rugged up there. We had people say, ``The prescription drug plan is just 
simply a hollow promise,'' or, ``The bill will leave millions of seniors 
worse off.'' That's not the facts. See, when you cut through all the 
rhetoric and look at the results, I think people are going to be amazed 
at what's available.
    One the reasons I'm here is that even though 29 million people have 
signed up, there's still about 7 million people who are qualifying for 
this program, and they ought to take a look. One way to convince people 
to take a look is to have others talk about the benefits of the program. 
They've probably got a little more credibility than I do. [Laughter] You 
don't have to agree with that. [Laughter] I'm just telling you, it's a 
good deal.
    As a matter of fact, we estimated the premiums to be $37 a month. 
They're down to $25 a month for the seniors--for most seniors. When 
people have choice, the 42 plans helps bring cost-effectiveness into 
medicine. You got one choice, you don't get cost-effective. You got 42 
programs to choose from--it's amazing what happens when somebody kind of 
competes for your business, that says, ``I'm going to try to make the 
plan attractive for you.'' And that's the difference between a 
government-dictated program and a program that trusts seniors to make 
choice.
    We've got up until May 15th for folks to get the best benefits. If 
you haven't signed up--if you're listening on TV and haven't signed up, 
please take a look, call 1-800-MEDICARE or go to medicare.gov if you 
want to find out what's available.
    If you're a son--or if you've got a mom or a dad who is eligible for 
Medicare, a son or a daughter has a duty, in my judgment, to the parent 
to find out what's available for your mom or dad. That's your duty. This 
is a good deal. It costs nothing

[[Page 700]]

to look at it. I think you're going to find it's an amazing opportunity 
to really help your mom or dad with prescription drugs, make sure they 
get modern medicine. Isn't that what a son or a daughter wants, to make 
sure the mom or dad gets the best possible medicine? Well, here's the 
plan that will make sure you get the best possible medicine.
    If you're a church, in a part of a church or community center, find 
somebody who's eligible for Medicare and help them. It's not all that 
hard. It's a pretty simple program. It may be hard for the senior who's 
not necessarily computer-literate, but if you're computer-literate, it's 
pretty easy. The steps are easy to follow. And you'll be doing somebody 
a favor.
    If you're a senior wondering whether or not this makes sense, you 
ought to take a look. It doesn't cost a dime to look, and you're going 
to save money. Seniors are saving about half on the prescription drug 
charges already. If you're a poor senior, the Government is going to pay 
over 95 percent of the deal.
    I'm here to, kind of, cut through all the politics and cut through 
all the rhetoric and help people understand what's available. No better 
place to come than the State of Missouri, kind of the ``Show-Me'' State. 
So we're about to show you. And I'm going to start with Dr. Mark 
McClellan, fellow Texan. McClellan is an 
unusual fellow; he's got a lot of degrees.
    What are your degrees, McClellan?
    Mark B. McClellan. Mr. President, I 
have a medical degree, also a Ph.D.
    The President. Yes. One of the things I like to remind people of is 
this fact: He's a Ph.D., and I was an okay 
student. [Laughter] Look who the adviser is, and look who the President 
is. [Laughter] I've used it before with him. He's a good sport. His job 
is--what?
    Dr. McClellan. I'm the head of the 
Medicare and Medicaid programs, and we are working with groups all over 
the country to help people find out about the most important new benefit 
in Medicare in 40 years--that's the drug coverage that you're talking 
about, sir.
    The President. See, we have got a duty at the Federal level to help 
people find out what's available. That's our duty. Mark is in charge of it. He works with Mike Leavitt, who's the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
and they've done a fine job. By the way, when you put 29 million people, 
right off the bat, into a system, you're going to have glitches, but 
they've handled the glitches. They're working with your Governor. 
They're working with the State government to work on dual eligibles. I 
know you read initially about the issues related to the signups--we're 
dealing with them. His job is to run them down, find those problems, and 
solve them.
    His job is also to help rally the country, others to help explain 
the program. And how are we doing? Give us----
    Dr. McClellan. Well, now over 29 
million people are already participating, hundreds of thousands more 
seniors and people with a disability are signing up every week. But we 
want to make sure, Mr. President, that everybody gets the support they 
need to make a competent decision. Some of the things that we do in that 
include our Medicare help line. People can call us anytime, day or 
night, at 1-800-MEDICARE, and get personalized help, finding out about 
what the drug benefit means for you. If you like to go online, or you've 
got a son or daughter or grandchildren who do, you can go to 
medicare.gov and get personalized help as well.
    But what we've really found is that events all over the country help 
us connect with beneficiaries, make sure we're reaching them where they 
live and work and play and pray, so that they can find out, face to 
face, what the new drug benefit means for them. We've been working with 
pharmacists and other health professionals--like at the event that you 
visited earlier today here in Jefferson City--many

[[Page 701]]

advocacy groups that advocate on behalf of seniors, people with a 
disability----
    The President. AARP.
    Dr. McClellan. ----AARP, church 
groups, the NAACP--very diverse range of groups that don't agree on 
everything, don't agree sometimes on much of anything, but they all 
agree that seniors and people with a disability should find out about 
the most important new benefit in Medicare in 40 years.
    The President. One thing that's important, that people with 
disability also qualify--some people do--and they need to make sure that 
they take a look at what's available.
    Give me some of the day--we got a timeframe here we're working in.
    Dr. McClellan. That's right. We've got 
until May 15th--that's the end of the enrollment period. And we're 
urging people to take a look now so they avoid the rush that's probably 
going to come as we get very close to that May 15th deadline. This week, 
there are going to be more than a thousand events all over the country 
that include many senior officials from your administration, that 
include health professionals, that include all of these groups that 
we're collaborating with all over the country to help people find out 
about the program. We're doing it here in Jefferson City and at events 
all over the State of Missouri. We're doing it all over the country.
    The President. Yes, change isn't easy. It's hard to change, 
particularly a system that's been in place since the 1960s. And yet we 
felt it was necessary to encourage change for the sake of our seniors. 
But we also understand that it requires a massive effort to show 
people--get it, ``show me''--to show people--[laughter]--what's 
available. And old Mark is in charge of it. 
But it requires an army of compassion to help.
    And one thing before we go to Linda, who's 
a soldier in the army of compassion, by the way--is tell me about the 
low-income benefit. Describe that to the folks who are listening.
    Dr. McClellan. Well, as you said, Mr. 
President, everybody in Medicare can take advantage of this new drug 
coverage, whether they've got a retiree plan now--we can help with 
that--whether they like to get their care through a Medicare Advantage 
Plan--that's the HMOs or PPOs in Medicare. Lots of people like to get 
help in different ways. But there is extra help available for people 
with limited incomes.
    And so if you're living month to month on a Social Security check or 
some other limited fixed income, or if you know someone who is, it's 
very important to look into the extra help. You apply for this extra 
assistance. As you said, you can get 95 percent of your drug costs paid 
for, on average. That's a benefit worth about $3,700 a year on average.
    Now, for a typical senior, you're getting about $1,100 worth of help 
with drug costs on average. So that's important right there. But there's 
extra help available for people of limited means, and we're making some 
extra efforts to reach out to people who may not be able to find out 
about this program otherwise. Here in rural parts of the States, we're 
working with the Grange; we're working with the USDA to get out into the 
community and, at a grassroots level, help people find out----
    The President. We're working with Heisinger Bluffs Senior Living 
Center, as well.
    Dr. McClellan. That's right.
    The President. Weren't we?
    Dr. McClellan. That's right; we sure 
are.
    The President. Linda Detring, welcome.
    Linda Detring. Good morning, Mr. 
President.
    The President. Thanks for coming. Lutheran Senior Services.

[At this point, Ms. Detring, vice president of operations, Lutheran 
Senior Services, made brief remarks, concluding as follows.]

[[Page 702]]

    Ms. Detring. During that time, I also 
became a Reserve officer in the United States Navy Reserves, as a Nurse 
Corps officer.
    The President. Fantastic, thanks.
    Ms. Detring. I retired 2 years ago as a 
captain.

[Ms. Detring made further remarks.]

    The President. See, it's interesting; when you listen to what 
Linda said, she said ``educate'' about three 
or four times. And that's what we're doing. That's why I've asked these 
people to come sit up here with me, which isn't easy, by the way, is it? 
[Laughter] Wait until she speaks; you're not going to believe it. 
[Laughter] Anyway, we want people to know what's available. And I bet 
you people, when they take a look at the 40-plus choices here in 
Missouri, get a little nervous at first.
    Ms. Detring. This is a little overwhelming 
at first. But if you help them through it--and I went on the Internet to 
choose my mother's plan, and it was very simple once I got on there and 
understood it.
    The President. Well, I appreciate you. Thanks.
    Ms. Detring. Welcome.
    The President. Thanks for serving as a good example two times: one, 
as a loving daughter, and two, as a person who is involved with the 
faith community, all extending a helping hand to somebody who needs a 
little help. Thanks for doing it.
    Another person who is involved with senior citizens happens to be 
Jodie Baker. Isn't that right?
    Jodie Baker. Yes, it is.
    The President. And what do you do?
    Ms. Baker. Thank you, Mr. President. I am a 
pharmacist. I work here in Jefferson City at Kmart Pharmacy, so I get to 
see a lot of seniors.
    The President. You see people coming to buy--yes, exactly. That's 
good. So tell us about--tell me about your involvement with the Medicare 
Part D program.
    Ms. Baker. Well, I was very excited to be 
involved at my place of work in trying to get the word out. And I like 
to talk. I think most of my customers would agree with that.
    The President. We're about to find out, aren't we?

[Ms. Baker made brief remarks, concluding as follows.]

    Ms. Baker. That's one thing; as a 
pharmacist, it's heartbreaking to me because I see people come in, and I 
know their conditions, and I know maybe not all their finances, but the 
medications are so expensive. I have people ask me, ``Can you help me 
pick which prescription I can get this month?'' And that's very hard----
    The President. Yes, it's got to be. Listen, there were people 
literally choosing between the electricity bill and pharmaceuticals.
    Ms. Baker. Yes, or food.
    The President. And that's not right in this country. And this 
program fixed it. And one of the things you told me earlier--this, by 
the way, isn't the first time we've seen each other. Well, it's the 
first day we've seen each other but not the first time, on the stage. 
Tell me about what you find with the low-income seniors. And give people 
a sense--if you're a low-income senior, you need to listen.

[Ms. Baker made further remarks.]

    The President. Isn't that neat? I appreciate it. There's pharmacists 
all over the country who, obviously, interface with seniors. And I want 
to thank those in the pharmaceutical--I mean, in the pharmacist industry 
who are explaining what's available. And it's an interesting example, 
isn't it, of somebody who is combining her work with her care for 
seniors and helping people see what's available.
    I appreciate you coming and explaining that.
    Ms. Baker. Thank you very much.
    The President. Jerry, welcome. 
Jerry Sooter, thanks for coming.

[[Page 703]]

    Gerald ``Jerry'' Sooter. Thank 
you, Mr. President.
    The President. Appreciate you.
    Mr. Sooter. We appreciate you 
being here very much, and thank you. I retired as a funeral director in 
June of 2003. I was born and raised in north Missouri, northwest 
Missouri. And, by the way, my wife and daughter and son-in-law and 
grandson are here.
    The President. Yes. Looking forward to meeting them afterwards.
    Mr. Sooter. I'm sure they're 
looking forward to that too. [Laughter]
    The President. It would be kind of rough if you said they weren't 
looking forward--[laughter].

[Mr. Sooter made brief remarks.]

    The President. That's great advice. Isn't it interesting, the 
society in which we live, word gets out; Jerry gets on the computer and taps into the system 
which, for some, can be complicated--obviously wasn't for you.
    Mr. Sooter. I found it extremely 
easy, and it's perplexing to me to hear people say it's difficult.
    The President. Well, some people are computer-literate, and some 
aren't, for starters. But I like the self-starter--you're a self-
starter. You said, ``I'm going to look.'' People need to take a look. 
That's what you need to do. Jerry is 
saving 65 percent on his drugs. That's pretty healthy savings. I bet you 
could use the savings.
    Mr. Sooter. Well, that's 
correct, because last week, when the computer went out on my automobile, 
it came in handy. [Laughter]
    The President. That's good. Well, we appreciate you joining us. 
Thank you for being willing to tell people your story. You're a lot more 
credible at telling people your story than I would be. In other words, 
it's important for people to hear that. Here's Jerry sitting here; he doesn't have anything to--
any ax to grind; all he wants to do is tell people what's available. And 
that's why we've asked him to come. And you're very articulate about it. 
Thanks for coming. Looking forward to meeting the grandkids. Appreciate 
you.
    Helen Robinette--isn't that right?
    Helen Robinette. Yes, that's right, Mr. 
President. [Laughter]

[Mrs. Robinette, senior citizen, made brief remarks, concluding as 
follows.]

    Mrs. Robinette. I save approximately 200 
a month on my drugs.
    The President. Isn't that interesting?
    Mrs. Robinette. Yes, I save 
approximately 200 a month.
    The President. You mean you were paying 300 a month, and now you're 
paying about 100?
    Mrs. Robinette. Yes, yes. It's 
probably--sometimes it's not even 100. Then also I had----
    The President. So your insurance friend laid it out for you?
    Mrs. Robinette. Yes.
    The President. Explained it?
    Mrs. Robinette. Yes, she did. She did. 
She was very nice, very nice.
    The President. Well, she's supposed to be. [Laughter]
    Mrs. Robinette. We were kind of dense 
and didn't understand it.
    The President. No, listen, but you're not alone. When you're--this 
can be confusing to folks.
    Mrs. Robinette. It is.
    The President. And that's why we've asked people to help--step up 
and help somebody who needs some explanation. Jerry figured it out, but you, fortunately, had somebody 
who said, ``Look, I want to help you see what's available.'' And you're 
saving now over $2,000 a year, sounds like.

[Mrs. Robinette made further remarks.]

    The President. Babying that inhaler.
    Mrs. Robinette. I was babying that 
inhaler. [Laughter] And only took it when I couldn't walk across the 
floor.
    The President. I got you.

[[Page 704]]

    Mrs. Robinette. And then all my 
allergies--if the doctor didn't have any samples, I didn't take it 
because it was very expensive, and I couldn't do that.
    The President. Yes.
    Mrs. Robinette. So now with your 
program, my inhaler is $5. And I get to take the allergy medicine too, 
and I love it. [Laughter]
    The President. I'm glad you came. Good job.
    All right, we're going to end here with Bob 
Vanderfeltz. Got the Vanderfeltz family 
here. When I first met him, I said, ``I like a guy with a snap-on 
shirt.'' [Laughter] Tell everybody about yourself right quick.
    Bob Vanderfeltz. Your people asked me 
when they called me, ``Are you going to wear a suit?'' I said, ``No, I'm 
not going to buy one; I don't have one.''
    The President. Yes. [Laughter] Yes, I wish I didn't have to wear 
them, believe me. [Laughter]
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. I wish to acknowledge 
my family. My beautiful wife and four of my children are here. One of 
them is a little bit far away. We've got a lieutenant colonel, battalion 
commander, serving in Iraq at the present time.
    The President. Really? Gosh, thank you. Yes, tell him thanks. You 
tell him. That's great. You know how to e-mail?
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. No, sir, I'm one of 
those illiterate computer boys. I don't even own one.
    The President. Yes, well, get one of your sons to e-mail him, and 
tell him the Commander in Chief is proud.
    How do you make a living?
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. How do I make a living?
    The President. Yes.
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. Well, at the present 
time, I'm retired. I was born and raised right here in central Missouri. 
The apple didn't fall far from the tree. I live still on the dairy farm 
I was born and raised on.
    The President. Really?
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. Yes, sir.
    The President. A man of the land. That's great.
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. Nothing like it.
    The President. You got big hands. [Laughter]
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. I know how to milk.
    The President. Yes, I bet you do. [Laughter]
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. It's kind of like 
riding a bicycle. You never forget that. [Laughter]
    Getting back to what we're here for--[laughter]--well, I went about 
mine a little differently, like I said, being computer-illiterate--well, 
what did I have to lose; I called my local Social Security office. And 
surprising to me--I was lucky I knew someone there, and I was talking to 
them, and in less than 10 minutes, they had me signed up on a program, 
in less than 10 minutes time. And from that point, I said, well, I'll 
find out what it is to get into a program, so I attempted to call the 1-
800 number in the middle of the day, and I found out that sometimes 
automated machines work better at nighttime when they aren't so busy. 
[Laughter]
    The President. Bring that up with McClellan. [Laughter] We did have a problem initially on the 1-800 
number. A lot of people were calling, and then they ended up putting a 
lot more operators on there. Now, I'm not making excuses. Look, I 
understand. But thank you.
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. But I went, like I 
said, earlier--or later in the evening, at that time, and it was, push 
the buttons and right straight through.

[Mr. Vanderfeltz made further remarks.]

    The President. Yes, hear that--$140 a month, now he's paying $7 a 
month. Here's a guy--he may not be computer-
literate, but he's smart enough to call and ask advice for a program 
that's saving him a lot of money. Isn't that right?
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. Right.

[[Page 705]]

    The President. You recommend people look at this thing? That's a 
leading question--I'm not even a lawyer. [Laughter]
    Mr. Vanderfeltz. No, I appreciate it 
very much. Needless to say, I didn't have to go to school very far to 
find out that it saved me money. [Laughter]
    The President. I bet you're plenty smart; you know what I'm saying? 
[Laughter] I bet you know what you're doing.
    I hope you all have found this interesting. You may not believe me, 
but you'll believe Bob, or you'll believe 
Helen, or you'll believe Jerry. These are real-life examples of people who 
said, ``I think I'll just take a look.'' Twenty-nine million Americans 
have signed up so far. There's 7 million more we're trying to reach. If 
you're one of the 7 million who have not signed up, at least take a 
look--take a look at what's available for you.
    This Government of ours has modernized Medicare so that we can look 
seniors in the eye and say, ``We're doing the best we can to make sure 
your medicine is modern.'' We don't want people choosing between 
electricity bills or food and their pharmaceuticals, like that was 
happening a while back.
    This program makes sense for our seniors. It makes sense for our 
taxpayers. Do you realize that because there's choice in the 
marketplace, because we've trusted seniors to pick a plan that meets 
their needs, the estimated costs in the first year to the Federal 
Government are 20 percent less than thought. In other words, one of the 
things that's important for our society to understand is that when you 
trust people, good things happen. It happens for them, and it happens 
for society as a whole.
    I'm proud to be here in Missouri. I want to thank you all for giving 
us a chance to come by and say hello. We're dealing with big issues. 
We're dealing with health care; we're dealing with keeping the peace; 
we're helping our small businesses thrive. It is a fantastic opportunity 
to come and thank you all for really being, however, the--representing 
the true strength of America. And the true strength of this country is 
not in the size of our armies or in the size of our wallets; it's in the 
size of our hearts.
    And for those of you who are helping a neighbor in need, helping a 
child to learn how to read, or providing shelter for the homeless or 
food for the hungry or advice to the seniors, I want to thank you from 
the bottom of my heart for helping to make this Nation the greatest 
nation on the face of the Earth.
    Thanks for coming, and God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 12:37 p.m. at the Etta and Joseph Miller 
Performing Arts Center. In his remarks, he referred to Cynthia Brinkley, 
president, AT&T--Missouri Carl Rausch, president, Lutheran Senior 
Services; and Gov. Matt Blunt and Lt. Gov. Peter D. Kinder of Missouri.