[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 19 (Monday, May 15, 2006)]
[Pages 901-908]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in a Discussion on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit in 
Orlando, Florida

May 10, 2006

    The President. Please be seated. Thank you. Thanks for letting me 
come by to say hello. I'm thrilled to be back in the State of Florida. 
Yesterday I checked in with my brother--[laughter]--to make sure 
everything is going all right. I'm real proud of Jeb. He's a good, 
decent man, and I love him dearly.
    I also checked in with Laura this morning, to see how she's doing. 
She sends her best to all of you all. She's doing just great, by the 
way.
    I'm here to talk about Medicare. We've got an exciting program and 
an exciting opportunity for people to improve their lives. So this is an 
educational forum. This is a chance not only to speak to the folks here 
but to those who may be watching on TV

[[Page 902]]

about a really interesting opportunity for the seniors all around our 
country to really improve their lives by signing up for a new 
opportunity in Medicare.
    But before I do--and by the way, I've got some interesting helpers 
here to make the case. I thought it would be better to have others 
describe what the Medicare program means--than me sitting up here just 
giving a long speech. [Laughter] You probably agree with that, but 
you're too polite to say so. [Laughter]
    I want to thank Tommy Martinez for welcoming us here. Tommy, thank 
you. I thank all the good folks who work here. Thanks for helping our 
seniors to improve their lives. You know, one of the great things about 
America is, there's a lot of citizens who have heard a call to help a 
neighbor, and there's a lot of people that are willing to, kind of, help 
educate somebody or help somebody find help. That's what we're really 
here to honor today, in many ways. We're not only here to talk about a 
new program for Medicare, but we're here to thank people that have taken 
time out of their lives to help a senior improve their lives.
    I want to thank Sylvia Caceres. She is the central Florida regional 
director. Thank you, Sylvia. Ramon Ojeda is the president of the 
Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando. Ramon, thank you. Finally, old Rich 
Crotty, he's here somewhere. Hey, Rich, good to see you, buddy. I was 
thinking about Rich. You might remember, his son made him famous--
[laughter]--made me famous too. [Laughter] The lad went to sleep in the 
middle of one of my stemwinders. [Laughter] Give him my best, Crotty.
    Let me talk real quick about Medicare. First of all, my 
administration views Medicare as a vital--that Medicare is a vital 
program. It's an important program that has worked well for many years. 
And therefore, when I got into office, I said, we're going to not only 
commit ourselves to Medicare, but we're going to make it better. See, 
the Federal Government has said to our seniors, ``We're going to provide 
a good health care system for you.'' And so we started looking at 
whether or not the Medicare system was delivering as good a health care 
system as possible. And I determined it wasn't. I said it was good, but 
it could be better.
    And the reason why it wasn't as good as it could be is because the 
system was not helping seniors with prescription drugs. In other words, 
medicine had changed a lot since the '60s, obviously--that's an obvious 
statement--but Medicare itself hasn't changed along with the 
modernization of medicine. I'll give you a good example. Medicare would 
pay for ulcer surgery, a surgery which might cost upwards of $25,000, 
but it would not pay for the prescription drugs that could have 
prevented the ulcer from happening in the first place. And that didn't 
make any sense. It didn't make any sense for our seniors, and it didn't 
make any sense for the taxpayers. And so it seemed like, it made sense 
to me to modernize the system, which we did.
    And so we created what's called Part D, and basically Part D is a 
prescription drug benefit for not only our seniors but those who 
qualified who are disabled as well. Part D says this: It says that 
seniors have now got a prescription drug plan available to them. It's 
your choice to make. One of the interesting things about the strategy 
we've employed is, seniors now have over 40 choices to choose from in 
Florida. Now, that in itself created a slight problem, because 40 
choices can create a sense of uncertainty among people. You know, people 
say, ``I don't think I want all those choices.'' After all, there had 
been very little choice up to now. And so the idea of saying, ``Well, 
here are 40 different plans to choose from,'' I knew was going to create 
the need to encourage people to get involved to help people make the 
right choice for them.
    I strongly believe that giving seniors choices is important to a 
good health care system. After all, not everybody's needs are the same. 
And therefore, the more opportunity there is to pick a program that 
meets your needs, the better off the health care system will be. That's 
why choice matters.
    It also means there are people actually competing for your business. 
They're saying, ``I want your business; therefore, I'm going to try to 
make it attractive for you.'' And the idea of giving choice to people 
has affected the cost of the plan. When we first got in

[[Page 903]]

there, we anticipated the cost for the average senior was going to be 
$37 a month; now it's down to $25 a month for the average plan. That's 
positive news. It's positive for our seniors, and it's positive for the 
taxpayers.
    We also believe that peace of mind is important for our seniors. And 
so inherent in this reform plan is the notion of the Government stepping 
in after a certain level of expenditures have been made by the average 
senior. In other words, anything over $3,600 in prescription drug 
coverage, the Government will pick up 95 percent of it. That's a 
catastrophic plan. It says that we recognize that we've got to help 
seniors after a certain level of expenditures, so as to help peace of 
mind.
    That wasn't the case in the old plan, as you might remember. The new 
plan has got stop-loss; it's got catastrophic care. And that's a very 
important part of helping make sure the system was modern. The other 
thing that's important for people to understand is that this program is 
very generous for low-income seniors. About a third of the seniors 
qualify for extra help. And that's the way it should be in America, in 
my judgment. We want to help people who cannot help themselves. And so 
if you're a low-income senior, this plan will pay nearly 95 percent of 
all your drug costs, and that's important for our seniors to understand.
    We've had good success at signing people up. There's about 42--a 
little more than 42 million people who are eligible for Medicare in the 
United States. Up to this point, a little over 31 million have signed up 
for the new Part D plan. There's about 6 million seniors who don't feel 
the need to sign up because they're adequately covered elsewhere, and 
that's okay; I understand that. So there's about 37, more or less, 
million people have so far signed up since January for this new benefit. 
And our mission is to reach out for the final 6-plus million, is to 
encourage people to, at the minimum, take a look at what's available.
    There is a May 15th deadline, unless you're a low-income senior, in 
which case you can sign up after May 15th without any penalty. And 
that's important for our seniors to understand as well.
    And so we're here today to talk about a Medicare plan that I believe 
is a good deal for America's seniors. It's very important for people to 
understand that there are significant savings for you involved in this 
plan. There's--the average senior saves about one-half on his or her 
drug bills, and that's good news. This is a plan that helps people when 
there's a catastrophe in their lives, and this is a plan that means our 
low-income folks won't have to choose between food and medicine. And 
that's good for America.
    Now, we're reaching out to people from all walks of life. First of 
all, if you're interested in finding out about the program, call 1-800-
MEDICARE, and somebody will be there at the other end of the line 
explaining it to you. If you're computer literate, call up medicare.gov, 
and you'll find a program that will help you--it will help explain to 
you what is available for you.
    If you've got a--if you're a son or a daughter, and you've got a 
mother or dad who is eligible for Medicare and hasn't looked at this 
program, you have a duty, in my judgment, to be a good son or a daughter 
and help your mom or dad. You know, some of our seniors aren't that 
comfortable with using a computer, and I understand that. But your sons 
and daughters are comfortable, or your grandchildren are comfortable. 
Get them to help you. Get them to take a look at what's available. A son 
or a daughter owes it to their mom and dad to do that. If you're a 
member of a church group and you've got seniors in your congregation, 
find help for them. If you're a member of AARP, an active member of 
AARP, help a friend see what's available. If you're a part of an 
outreach group such as this, continue doing your duty to give people 
knowledge.
    And that's what we're here to do. We're working with the National 
Alliance for Hispanic Health, the Hispanic Business Roundtable, the 
National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders. I mean, we're 
talking to a lot of groups. We've reached out through Univision and 
Telemundo and Spanish radio. My point is, is that we're reaching out to 
all people in all societies. We're working with the NAACP, AARP. There 
are a lot of people trying to help. And for those of you here who are 
helping, thank you for doing what you're

[[Page 904]]

doing. I hope it makes you feel better. It makes me feel good to know 
there are millions of Americans who are willing to help a neighbor 
understand what's available in this important program.
    So you're watching the President be educator in chief today. 
[Laughter] My job is to go around America and explain that which is 
available, but I can't do it alone. Yesterday, down in South Florida, 
Mike Leavitt was with me. He's the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services. He's doing a fine job. Josefina Carbonell works with Mike. Her 
title is Assistant Secretary for Aging, Administration on Aging, 
Department of Health and Human Services--a long title for a fine person. 
Josefina, tell us what's happening in the Department. Welcome.
    Assistant Secretary Josefina Carbonell. Thank you, Mr. President. 
Yes, I'm known as the Assistant Secretary of Aging, but I've got the 
great honor to also have been coined in this campaign as ``Senora 
Medicare.'' [Laughter] And we've gone across the country.
    It's indeed a wonderful honor to serve you as the Assistant 
Secretary for Aging, but having worked in the aging field for over 35 
years right here in the State of Florida, it is so gratifying and so 
historic for me personally to see the fine work of individuals and 
volunteers across this country that have made such a difference. And 
you'll meet--some of them are with us today, and many in the audience--
how important the benefits are.
    We've held over 47,000 events like this, assistance and enrollment 
events and information events. And we've ridden in buses, in our 
Medicare buses across this country and visited with people in towns 
small and big, rural and urban communities, in limited English-speaking 
communities. And we are so proud of the work that our inner-city and our 
community-based organizations and our volunteers in both the private 
non-profit sector, civic organizations, the business community, and our 
municipalities, and most importantly, our volunteers.
    We've had a wonderful opportunity to have over 40,000 dedicated 
volunteers that have served to assist people on one-on-one as a backup 
to our 1-800-MEDICARE, to, of course, our web site, and our area 
agencies on aging, our senior centers, our Meals on Wheels programs, our 
home care agencies. But those 40,000 volunteers have made such a 
difference. I've been in communities where we've sat around somebody's 
dining room table in the middle of a little church hall--and being able 
to assist them one-on-one making that choice.
    And that's so important. I know that having worked with seniors for 
so many years, it is so gratifying to see the difference that this new 
benefit takes on, not only in cost savings, but the most important thing 
for me, in many of the minority communities, have been the ability for 
them to access new preventive benefits, and cardiovascular and diabetes 
and other chronic conditions that are so prevalent in our minority 
communities. So that's another very important feature.
    But help is there. Those that might still be afraid and have not set 
out--the 1-800-MEDICARE, we've staffed that Medicare line up with 6,000 
operators, trained people. We've got volunteers like Sandra, 40,000 
across this country, and the area agencies on aging and the elder help 
lines that are there to assist you. We also have help lines for minority 
communities. We know that in the Hispanic community, in addition to the 
1-800-MEDICARE, we have the 1-800-SU-FAMILIA [1-866-SU-FAMILIA] *, run 
by the National Hispanic Council, the National Hispanic Alliance for 
Health, which is manned by grassroots organizations across this country, 
and many, many more that are there to help you.
    * White House correction.
    So seek help. The 15th is the deadline. Don't stay without that very 
important benefit, that not only will give you the prescription drug 
benefits that you need but, most importantly, will be a lifesaving 
effort for many, many of our at-risk individuals.
    The President. Yes, I knew one of the real challenges, once this 
bill had passed, was to convince people that change would be in their 
interests. There's a lot of folks, frankly, at a certain point in their 
lives, where they're just really aren't interested in change. They're 
happy with the way things are, and therefore, it would be hard to get 
people to, kind of, be alert to the new opportunities.

[[Page 905]]

And so therefore, we knew we'd have to rally a group of folks who were 
not political people, but just concerned about their neighbor, so that 
there was a human touch to convince somebody that change--it's one thing 
to call a phone number; you're talking to somebody you can't see. But 
the most important contact is the one-on-one contact that many in this 
audience have helped others with. And for those of you doing that, I 
want to thank you.
    Josefina also talked about an important part of the reform, and that 
is that there's now a wellness exam for people entering Medicare 
finally. It makes sense to detect problems early so it makes it easier 
to solve problems. That old Medicare system didn't have, kind of, this 
sense of prevention as a part of our strategy to help our seniors, and 
now it does.
    But for a senior who hasn't signed up, call but also reach out to 
somebody. They'll help you. This program is not as complicated as one 
would initially think. And there's a lot of people that will help you, 
help you walk through the steps necessary to determine what is best for 
you.
    Now, we've got some folks here who are being served. Pete, Pete 
Navarro, welcome; thank you for coming.
    Peter Navarro. Good morning, Mr. President.
    The President. You got to speak into the mike.
    Mr. Navarro. Good morning, Mr. President.
    The President. Where do you live?
    Mr. Navarro. I live in Tavares, Florida.
    The President. Very good--right around the corner.
    Mr. Navarro. About 45 minutes.
    The President. Well, it's a large corner. [Laughter] Give people 
your circumstances, please.

[At this point, Mr. Navarro, retiree, made brief remarks.]

    The President. One of the things people have got to understand--
Pete, by the way, is not eligible for Medicare yet, just in terms of 
age.
    Mr. Navarro. That's correct.
    The President. You're 59?
    Mr. Navarro. Fifty-nine, yes.
    The President. So am I. [Laughter] I blame my gray hair on my 
mother. [Laughter] I don't know who you blame yours on. [Laughter] I 
used to think 60 was old, didn't you?
    Mr. Navarro. When I was young, I thought that was way out.
    The President. Now I think it's young, don't you?
    Mr. Navarro. I think so. [Laughter]
    The President. Yes. Anyway, people on disability can apply for this 
program as well. You have done so.
    Mr. Navarro. I have done so.
    The President. You're taking eight different medications a day.
    Mr. Navarro. Eight different medications a day.
    The President. So you're worried, obviously, about the cost.
    Mr. Navarro. I was, and since I have it, I only pay a $2 copay for 
generics and a $5 copay for the regular drugs.
    The President. Right. Are you able to estimate your monthly savings 
now?
    Mr. Navarro. I'm saving between 500 and 600 dollars a month.
    The President. I'm not surprised. We hear stories like this all the 
time, where this program is helping people. The average senior is going 
to save half on their drug bills. Here's a fellow who is saving a lot 
more than half.
    Mr. Navarro. That's a lot of money.
    The President. Yes. And that helps you, obviously--500 or 600 
dollars a month gives you a little breathing room.
    Mr. Navarro. Oh, yes. It really does. It eliminates that stress that 
you live when you don't know if you can get it or not.
    The President. Yes. Well, I appreciate you sharing your story with 
us. It's--so, when are you turning 60?
    Mr. Navarro. Next January.
    The President. Oh, January. You're a lot younger than I am. 
[Laughter] We're baby boomers--[laughter]--which really leads to another 
issue, and that is whether or not the Congress will have the will to 
help restructure Social Security and Medicare so a young generation, 
your grandchildren who are going to be paying people like me to retire--
whether or not the system is solvent for

[[Page 906]]

them. You're fine. I mean, the seniors are in great shape when it comes 
to Medicare and Social Security. The truth of the matter is baby boomers 
like old Pete and I here, we're in good shape. It's just those who are 
going to be paying for us need to make sure the system is solvent.
    It's not exactly the issue, but it is an issue that is of major 
importance. And, look, I'll work with Congress. Look, we need to just 
get rid of all the politics in Washington and focus on what's best for 
the country and do what's right.
    All right, Pete, thank you very much.
    Gloria Lavergne. Gloria, where do you live?
    Gloria S. Lavergne. Good morning, Mr. President.
    The President. Yes ma'am, thank you.
    Ms. Lavergne. I live here in Orlando.
    The President. Fantastic.
    Ms. Lavergne. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico.
    The President. Que bueno.
    Ms. Lavergne. Que bueno. And I moved to Florida in 1982 with my 
family. I work as a legal assistant for 20 years, and unfortunately, on 
2002, I became disabled. And like you, I suffer from that time until 2 
months that I'm going to be able to get my supplemental, because I'm 
paying right now $265 with an insurance. And I would say, when I heard 
about Medicare Part D, I start my own search. I look at different 
companies that I receive in the mail and compare, start calling. Don't 
be afraid to call; get the name of the medication that you are taking--
I'm taking six medicines every day. One of them is Lidoderm--it's a 
patch--that cost me at regular price $175 per month, and I'm paying $28 
is my deductible.
    The President. Let's slow down for a minute. You're doing great. I 
just want to make sure everybody understands: This good woman is paying 
for six different medicines, one of which costs 175--speak in the mike, 
please--175. You signed up for Medicare Part D, and now it costs you 28?
    Ms. Lavergne. My premium is $26.60; my deductibles are $28; and I'm 
saving $550 per month. That's amazing.
    The President. Yes. Now, I know it sounds too good to be true; like, 
if I had said it, everybody would have said, ``Well, I think he's just--
you know--just talking.'' [Laughter] So I asked Gloria to be here. It's 
interesting what she said. She said she took the initiative to see what 
was available.
    Was it that difficult?
    Ms. Lavergne. No, it wasn't difficult. I look at the brochures, 
check with the medication that I was taking, and I enrolled in AARP--for 
me is one of the best. And I'm very happy. I encourage everybody to join 
the program.
    The President. See, she said--what you just heard her say is, she 
took the initiative, took a look, and found a program that met her 
needs. And that's why choice is important. In other words, the 
Government didn't say, ``Here's the program that meets your needs.'' The 
Government said, ``Here's programs available. You pick the one that 
meets your needs.'' It's a little change of attitude, when you think 
about it--basically empowers the customers.
    Now, there are some people, I readily concede, that aren't that 
confident about picking a program that meets their needs. But there are 
people out there who are willing to help you. So therefore, please call 
in and let us know who you are. We're trying to make sure that every 
senior has a chance to sign up for this program. And there's going to be 
some people in society that are nervous about the program. They hear all 
the talk, and they hear this program, and they hear the advertisements, 
and I know they're nervous. I know they're concerned. But I assure you, 
it is worth your time to listen to somebody who wants to at least 
explain what's available for you.
    If you're--I repeat, if you're a son or a daughter and your mom 
hasn't signed up or your dad hasn't signed up, do your duty and--to find 
out what's available and explain. You just heard the testimony of 
Gloria; she's saving $500 a month.
    Ms. Lavergne. ----$550.
    The President. ----$550 a month. Well, that's a lot. And one of the 
things we want is the program to work, and it works well when people 
take advantage of the program.
    So thank you both for sharing your--you got something else to say? 
You're welcome--you're through?

[[Page 907]]

    Ms. Lavergne. Thank you so much.
    The President. Gracias. Good job. Very good job. I told you you'd do 
a good job. You were great.
    We got an interesting fellow here named Ramon Ortiz. Ramon is a 
pharmacist, as you can see. One of the most important groups of people 
who are helping our seniors realize what is available are our 
pharmacists. You can understand why. They're the point of contact for a 
lot of our seniors.
    How long have you been a pharmacist?
    Ramon Ortiz. Well, 15 years. I've been 15 years--3 years which I 
served in the United States Air Force. I was stationed here at Patrick 
Air Force Base.

[Mr. Ortiz, pharmacist, CVS Pharmacy, made brief remarks.]

    The President. One of the things he said that's interesting is--CVS 
took corporate responsibility and said, we now understand--once 
President George W. signed the bill, we understand that a lot of our 
customers are now going to be wondering whether or not it makes sense 
for them to look at it. And the company became a part of the educational 
outreach by educating first the educators, who happened to be the 
pharmacists; that's what you're saying.
    And then now--so you've got people coming, and saying, hey, Ramon, 
what's up? Maybe they don't put it that way--[laughter]--but they're----
    Mr. Ortiz. We knew it was going to be big. And also, we knew that we 
were going to be providers; we were going to be instrumental in their 
choices.

[Mr. Ortiz made further remarks.]

    The President. It's hard for some Americans to believe, but there 
were seniors who were going out--without their drugs in the past. People 
had to choose, and that's not right. And this program really helps a lot 
of low-income seniors. It helps all low-income seniors. We don't want 
people making that choice between food and medicine. We want the health 
care system to be modern; we want it to work. If you're going to say to 
your seniors, ``Let's have a good health care system,'' we need to make 
it good, and we've done that. And so--keep going; you're on a roll. 
[Laughter] Your mother?
    Mr. Ortiz. I also--perhaps one of the most difficult patients that I 
had was my mom.
    The President. Yes, I know the feeling. Does she tell you what to 
do?
    Mr. Ortiz. Yes. For her, I'm the baby; I'm not a pharmacist.
    The President. Yes, well, I know the feeling as well. Join the 
``aggressive mothers club.'' [Laughter]
    Mr. Ortiz. So being a pharmacist, seeing how much this program had 
helped seniors, and I knew, because I was paying for my mom's 
prescriptions sometimes, and I knew that she was taking--paying over 
$280 for prescriptions. Recently I called her, yesterday. She told me 
that she was not even taking some of the medications doctor prescribed 
because she could not afford it. I said, ``Mom, why didn't you call me? 
I would have paid for your prescriptions.''
    Finally, I convince her--she's down in Puerto Rico in a small town, 
Ceiba; she enrolled. And she asked me, tell President Bush--[laughter]--
this is the greatest thing ever happened. Now my father, at the age of 
73, he's looking for retirement. He was working 40 hours just to pay----
    The President. To help your mom.
    Mr. Ortiz. ----for the prescriptions. Now he can look into 
retirement. I'm not sure if my mom will allow him to retire. [Laughter] 
They cannot be in the same house. [Laughter] True story.
    The President. Let's leave it at that, you know? [Laughter]
    Mr. Ortiz. So I mean, I know there's a lot of complication, and I 
asked Anna, the first lady that I told you, ``Anna, do you really need 
to understand the Medicare Plan D?'' She said, ``No, I don't have to; 
I'm saving money.'' [Laughter] That's what it's all about.
    The President. Yes, it is. You know what I come away with? One, I 
want to thank you for your compassion. There's a lot of people who 
deeply care--a lot of people who care about our fellow citizens. We 
really are a compassionate country, aren't we? Here's Ramon. You know, 
he speaks with passion

[[Page 908]]

about people who come to his place of business worried about their 
health care and worried about their future. Thanks.
    The other good lesson is, here's a good son. You know, he takes time 
to worry about his mom--and dad, by the way. Sons and daughters owe that 
to their parents. They have received a lifetime of love from a mother or 
father, and they need to repay it by helping understand what's available 
in this new program. So if you're--I keep saying this, I know, but I 
strongly believe it. I believe there's personal responsibility in 
society, and sons and daughters have a personal responsibility to help 
their mom or dad, just like Ramon did.
    You did a fine job. Thank you. Gracias.
    Mr. Ortiz. Gracias.
    The President. Sandra Johnson. Now, Sandra Johnson works for the 
Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, known as SHINE. Is that right? 
Explain SHINE.

[Sandra Johnson, local coordinator, Serving Health Insurance Needs of 
Elders, made brief remarks.]

    The President. You know what's a blessing? We got people like you in 
this country, like Sandra. She comes down here, she says, ``What can I 
do to help. How can I help somebody?''
    I love your spirit. Thanks for helping. She represents a lot of 
other people in this area and around the country who are volunteering.
    Ms. Bryan. [Inaudible]--$22 a month.
    The President. There you go. [Laughter] From 350 to 22?
    Ms. Bryan. Twenty-two.
    The President. Testify. [Laughter]
    Ms. Bryan. [Inaudible]
    The President. There you go. We're glad you're here, Ms. Bryan. 
Thank you for coming.
    Listen, I hope you've enjoyed this experience. I've asked these good 
folks to join us to help make the case: One, take a look at what's 
available; two, help somebody take a look at what's available. That's 
all we can ask. There's a May 15th deadline coming up, unless you 
qualify for extra help, in which case you can sign up after May 15th 
with no penalty. If you don't quality for extra help, sign up now. Now's 
the time. This is a good deal. It's the Government doing its duty to 
provide modern medicine for our seniors.
    I want to thank our panelists. You all did a fantastic job. God 
bless you all, and God bless our country.

Note: The President spoke at 9:47 a.m. in the Asociacion Borinquena de 
Florida Central, Inc. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of 
Florida; Tommy Martinez, president, Asociacion Borinquena de Florida 
Central, Inc.; Sylvia Caceres, southern States regional director, the 
Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration; and Mayor Richard T. Crotty 
of Orange County, FL, and his son Tyler.