[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 29 (Monday, July 25, 2005)]
[Pages 1206-1207]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in a Visit With Seniors in Atlanta, Georgia

July 22, 2005

    The President. How are you? Say hello to my mother. How's everybody? 
So what are you doing here, Patty?
    Patti Patterson. We're talking about the extra help application. I'm 
trying to get these guys to help me spread the word to anybody and 
everybody that they might know might be eligible for this extra help.
    The President. Well, thank you. You know, sometimes when a person 
hears that their Medicare program is going to change, it creates a 
little anxiety. And what we need is people all around the country saying 
to a friend, ``Just take a look at the new plan.'' I'm telling you, 
we're coming with a good plan for seniors. It's really going to help a 
lot of people.
    So this is an effort to reach out to people all around the country--
here in Atlanta and all around the country--to explain to people there 
are some new options in Medicare that

[[Page 1207]]

will make their lives better. It's voluntary. If you like what you got, 
you can stay with what you got. If you're interested in the new ideas, 
we're out making sure people know those options are available.
    I want to thank you for being interested in helping. This is going 
to require a lot of chatter, a lot of people talking to their neighbors, 
and a lot of people helping people understand what's available and the 
forums that are available and the programs that are available. And I 
want to thank you all for reaching out.
    Ms. Patterson. Thank you.
    The President. I brought somebody with me--[laughter]--my favorite 
senior citizen. [Laughter]
    Former First Lady Barbara Bush. I have to be, I've got an almost 60-
year-old son. [Laughter]
    The President. We'd like to say hello to you. Thanks for doing this. 
This is a national effort that you're a part of.
    Former First Lady Bush. Weren't you going to tell people they ought 
to ask doctors, lawyers, people they trust whether this is a good deal 
for them?
    The President. Yes, I am.
    Former First Lady Bush. Yes, you are. [Laughter]
    The President. You ought to ask your people that you count on for 
advice, that this is a good deal. You know, for a lot of seniors, the 
prescription drug benefit is going to help change their lives in a 
positive way. Again, if you're happy with what you're getting from 
Medicare or your private insurance plan, nothing changes. That's what 
people have got to understand. But for a lot of folks, this new 
modernization of Medicare is going to provide some new benefits that are 
going to be incredibly important.
    Former First Lady Bush. It saves them money.
    The President. And save money, yes. See? That's why she's here--to 
remind me of what to say--[laughter]--and save their lives.
    One of the things that's interesting about Medicare is that there's 
a new benefit that enables people to get preventative screenings early. 
If you now join Medicare, the first thing that happens is the Government 
will give you a screening to determine whether or not there's any 
illnesses or conditions that need to be addressed now. That's a change 
in Medicare. That seems to make sense to me. If you diagnose a problem 
early, it's easier to solve the problem. And then starting in January of 
next year, there's going to be a new prescription drug benefit. And 
seniors, by the way, will get more choices to choose from. But it's all 
voluntary. In other words, the Government is not saying, ``You have to 
do this.'' The Government is saying, ``These programs are available to 
you.''
    So we've got a lot of good folks explaining what's available. Mother 
and I are going to go over to have a little forum. And one of the 
persons in the forum is a pharmacist. So the corner store pharmacists 
are now beginning to understand what the new program is, and they'll 
help other seniors understand, when it becomes available.
    Anyway, thanks for letting us come by and say hello. It's good to 
see you. We're coming around to shake hands.

Note: The President spoke at 11:18 a.m. on the Budd Terrace at the 
Wesley Woods Center. Participating in the visit was Patti Patterson, 
Deputy Regional Communications Director, Social Security Administration, 
Atlanta Region.