[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 50 (Monday, December 19, 2005)]
[Pages 1854-1855]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Roundtable Discussion on Medicare in Springfield, 
Virginia

December 13, 2005

    Dr. Mark McClellan and I have just heard from folks who have been 
analyzing and/or helping people analyze the current Medicare drug 
benefit and current Medicare--modernized Medicare program.
    Awhile ago, I worked with the Congress to modernize and strengthen 
Medicare for our seniors. And the reason we did, because if the 
Government commits to health care for our seniors, it ought to be a 
program that does the following things: One, provide modern medicine; 
and two, give seniors a variety of options from which to match their 
needs to that which is available.
    We fully recognize that for some seniors, that this is a daunting 
task. When you give people choice and options, it is--it can be a 
situation where people say, ``I don't really--this is something I may 
not want to do.'' And so I want to assure the seniors the following 
things: One, the Medicare--the new Medicare plan is voluntary; it's 
optional; two, that there are people around who are willing to help 
explain the program for you and to you. There's--when you have choices 
to make, there's going to be some--you do have choices to make--and 
somebody will be able to sit down with you and explain why this program 
is good.
    For example, Eloise is talking about the fact that she's spending a 
lot on prescription drugs, and under the new Medicare plan, she's able 
to choose a program that will substantially reduce the cost of her 
prescription drugs. Low-income seniors will get substantial help. People 
will be able to match a program to their specific needs.
    And what we want to assure seniors around the country is that there 
is help. You can call 1-800-Medicare. You can get on the Internet with 
medicare.gov. Ask your son or daughter; ask people in your church; ask 
people in AARP; ask people in your community center to help you look at 
what's available for you. It's a good deal. It's a good deal for our 
seniors.
    And so one of the reasons we have come today is to encourage people 
to see what is available in the new law. Enrollment began in mid-
November. The program will begin in January of this year. We urge you to 
look at the options available to you and sign up by May of next year.
    This is Government that has recognized it has a responsibility to 
help our seniors. And the bill I was fortunate enough to sign into law 
does just that.
    Again, I want to thank you all for joining us. I want to thank you 
for your hard work, Charlotte. Ellen DeMucci is a pharmacist.

[[Page 1855]]

One of the interesting groups that are reaching out to our seniors are 
those who are behind the counter. Ellen and her fellow pharmacists 
interface with seniors on a daily basis. They know the needs of seniors. 
They, in many cases, have analyzed what's available for our seniors. 
They're available to help seniors fill out the forms. She has worked 
with Eloise.
    Again, I urge our fellow citizens to help our seniors realize what's 
available in this wonderful program. And I finally want to thank Senator 
Allen and Congressman Davis for joining us as well. They're interested 
in this program. They're interested in the people of Virginia, and they 
want to make sure the seniors of Virginia get all the options available 
for them to choose from.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:36 a.m. at the Greenspring Village 
Retirement Community.