this is the aarp. all this scare talk about grandma, and i do -- with due respect to my friend from tennessee say that. he has been using that phrase a lot. but aarp says grandma's fine. grandma's fine. it says -- "most importantly, the legislation does not reduce any guaranteed benefits." it does not reduce any benefits for aarp. going on, ""aarp believes savings can be found in medicare." we're talking savings in medicare to extend the solvency of medicare. the actuary says this legislation extends the solvency of medicare, helps medicare. benefits longer than the status quo if this legislation were not to pass. and also that it does so, according to aarp, by eliminating waste and inefficiency, and aggressively weeding out fraud, waste, and abuse. the last sentence in the letter says -- "we therefore urge you" -- senators -- "to oppose the mccain amendment." the aarp says this hurts seniors, the motion to recommit. i think the job for aarp is to try to figure out what's best for seniors. that's what

aarp. mr. kyl: -- mr. alexander: i see the senator from texas, the senator from idaho and the senator from wyoming have come to the floor in addition to the sponsor of the amendment, senator hatch. i'm sure they are prepared to reflect on who's hurt by these cuts. the only thing i would emphasize with what you have said is that disproportionately low-income americans in texas and in idaho and in tennessee and in wyoming and in utah are hurt. only a third of eligible white seniors who don't have medicaid or employer-based insurance are enrolled in medicare advantage. but the number increases to 40% for african-americans and 53% for hispanics. mr. mccain: could i ask the senator again, he described the benefits provided under the medicare advantage program that seniors can have if they want; right? are those same ability -- dental, vision, hearing and fitness care -- that available under regular medicare today? mr. alexander: my understanding is the answer is no to that. that's the reason 11 million american

as aarp says -- "the new senate bill makes improvement in the medicare program by creating a new annual wellness benefit, providing free preventative benefits, and most importantly for aarp members, reducing drug costs for seniors who fall into the dreaded medicare doughnut hole." "the bill also makes improvements on age rating, a discriminatory practice that allows insurers to charge exorbitant, age-based premiums to older americans. finally, aarp strongly supports provisions in the senate bill to strengthen long-term services and supports. we also applaud the inclusion of provisions to improve access to medicaid income and community-based services." all in our bill. all of which would fall if we adopt the mccain amendment. so i urge my colleagues to not listen to the rhetoric of the other side. listen to those that really do represent our seniors. make sure that we preserve and protect the basic medicare functions for our seniors and for those who are about to retire. you won't get that through medicare advantage. now, if medicare advantage wants to exist and compete on a level playin

it's small wonder that aarp supports this monstrosity of a bill. it's in their best financial interest. buddies are always taken care of around here, i guess. and they certainly are buddies to the other side of the floor. as we consider the serious threat these cuts pose to seniors, i want to point out during the senate finance committee markup -- i wanted to point out this fall, we saw senator bill nelson and other democrats work to parptionly mitigate senator nelson from florida and other democrats worked to partially mitigate the impact of the bill's medicare advantage funding cuts. this effort, while taking only very small steps, clearly demonstrated that a number of our democratic colleagues recognized the value offered by medicare advantage plans and the danger of enacting the deep cuts proposed by the pending bill. unfortunately, only a limited number of states would benefit from the nelson amendment, so most medicare advantage beneficiaries are not protected from the cut. bethey recognized how important -- but they recognized how important

name. >> the aarp executive would naturally fall under the lincoln amendment?>> absolutely, because it says a majority that the $1.4 billion in revenues, according to the tax records, were made up of the sale of these insurance products. >> i think the senator from north carolina made an excellent point. consistency would require that aarp would be included in this amendment if the amendment goes forward. i hope the amendment doesn't pass, but clearly it should be significant. it was not scapt because of some deal that was cut. would that be the implication here? >> the senator from utah? >> senator mccain, if i might interrupt, if i might ask unanimous consent to consider the consolidated financial statements of aarp. they are the fifth largest insurance sales in the country. >> without objection. >> mr. president, i have enjoyed this con colloquy. i have enjoyed the enthusiasm that's here. i've noticed that the sense of passion to get something done properly for the american people is on this side of the aisle. and a great sense of defensiveness is on the oth

here aarp has studied it. this is what they say about that -- quote -- "the premium may be too uncompetitive for those who don't use much health care. and unaffordable for those with modest incomes. this may limit buy-in enrollment and drive up costs further." end of aarp quote. so this means that this buy-in proposal is likely unsustainable. and we all know what happens when the government creates an unsustainable new program. what happens? the taxpayers end up on the hook for bailing it out down the road sometime. we all know that the medicare program has $37 trillion in unfunded obligations. we all know about the pending insolvency of the medicare program, the trustees say so every spring. the medicare hospital insurance trust fund started going broke last year. in 2008, then, the medicare program began spending more out of the trust fund than was coming in through the payroll tax. the medicare trustees have been warning all of us for years that this trust fund is going broke. they now predict that it will

i think those people who belong to aarp were saying they're going to drop out because of aarp's endorsement are right. i think those physicians who say they're either not members of the a.m.a. or they're going to drop out from the a.m.a. because of the a.m.a.'s position are right. and i think if we cram this thing through in a sense of urgency even though it's four years from implementation, we will see an outcry in the intervening four years from the american people that will cause members of the senate to wish they had taken more time to examine it all, to do it right, and not to panic over pressure from various special interest groups that see ways in which they can profit from this. the american people, the american physicians, the american patients all see ways in which they will be hurt. and i speak for them as they say slow this down, do this thing right, don't panic under pressure of a artificial time deadline. i yield the floor. mr. kaufman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. kaufman: i rise to speak today about my great federal employee of the wee

that's a statement by the aarp. i don't suggest here tonight that any of our colleagues are using myths and misinformation to distort the truth, but the main point here is aarp when it hears claims that seniors are going to be hurt says that's not true, and they support this bill, they strongly support this bill, i might add. so let me remind my colleagues of some of the positive changes in this legislation. this legislation approves the solvency of the medicare program by five years. it puts $30 billion back into the pockets of seniors in the form of lower medicare premiums. it makes prescription drugs more affordable. that's an added bill that would not be available if this legislation was not passed. the bill guarantees seniors can continue to see the doctor of their choosing. the bill provides free wellness and prevention benefits. those are new benefits that don't currently exist. it also includes fair to appropriate changes to home health as i suggested that protect access to care. i don't question the motives

the aarp has a sweetheart deal. there is a provision in this deal for them, plans that medigap insurance sold by aarp are exempt from tax on insurance companies. the a.m.a. signed up because of the promise of a doc fix. there was throughout this. we should have set up a tent out in front and put persian rugs out in front of it. that's the way this has been conducted. so of course then the special interests were taken care of. then we had to take care of special senators. and one deal is called we've got new words in our lexicon now -- the louisiana purchase, the cornhusker kickback. i got a new name. the florida flimflam. the one that gives the medicare advantage members in florida around the country the benefit, but my constituents in medicare advantage don't. and so in answer to this -- in answer to a question today, the majority leader said, quote -- "a number of states are treated differently than other states." really? "a number of states are treated different than other states. that's what the legislation is a

the aarp endorsement of more than $400 billion in medicare savings, endorsement. according to its own financial statements from 2008 aarp generated 38% of its its $1.1 billion in revenue or more than had 14 million in -- more than $414 million in royalty fees. they also obviously will -- if we take away medicare advantage, then medigap sales will have to go up because that provides for the services that are being taken away. so we -- under the aarp, they would generate in their endorsements, they have generated $414 million, putting them in fifth place of all of the health insurance companies in america, behind united health, wellpoint, aetna, and humana. and so we have before the body a -- an amendment that would modify any health insurers remuneration to the same salary as the level of the president of the united states. so i ask unanimous consent at this time that the aarp executives be added in as to be under the effect of this pending amendment from the senator from arkansas. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. mccain: is there objection? mr. baucu

aarp does, wal-mart does. if we're going to have this kind of demagoguic amendment, we should include them, especially wal-mart who does a lot of business. i would ask my colleague, the doctor -- a senator: i would ask the senator from arizona, if i may ask a question? mr. mcconnell: i would ask the senator from arizona is this the same aarp that i recall opposed a $10 billion reduction in the rate of increase in medicare spending back in 2005? mr. mccain: i would say to my colleague they not only opposed it, they got all of their members fired up in opposition to it. we all heard from them back in 2005. and these were reductions in spending. these weren't -- this was not not $438 billion taken out of medicare and put into -- in to create a new entitlement program of $2.5 trillion. mr. mcconnell: i ask my friend one more question. is this the same bill that back

let me say what aarp says. they have a chart here which indicates what the american association of retired people says about the underlying bill. now, they were cutting medicare like the other side says you think they would not like this bill. you would think they would have problems with it. aarp has not totally endorse this bill but they don't have problems with that because they know we are doing the right thing but what did they say? proponents of health care reform will not rest. they are using misinformation to distort the truth and wrongly suggesting medicare be harmed after a lifetime of hard work, don't seniors deserve better? that is what are says, referring to the distortions and misrepresentations and untruths, trying to scare seniors mentioned by opponents of this legislation. here is another aarp quote. this is just this month the new senate bill makes improvements to the medicare program by creating a new annual wellness benefits, providing free preventive benefits and most notably for aarp membe

i would encourage anyone who is interested to go to the web site of aarp. one of the organizations we know to be champions for seniors and take a look at what they say about the myth that health care reform will hurt medicare. and they lay out several things. one is "none of the health care reform proposals being considered by congress would cut medicare benefits or increase your out-of-pocket costs for medicare services." and then just this week, in supporting our efforts, they've put out a statement that -- a letter that at the end, again, they reiterated, "most importantly, the legislation does not reduce any guaranteed medicare benefits." i find it interesting, mr. president, that our colleagues who a few years ago quoted aarp all the time when we were debating the medicare prescription drug bill. i would guess that every single one of our republican colleagues used their support in putting forward their bill. now they are trying to disparage, which i which is a very cricial organization because they don't a-- credible organization because they don't ag

it was opposed aggressively by the aarp and opposed by the other side of the aisle. do you know what that change is going to be? it is going to require that wealthy people who benefited from the party drug benefit would have to pay part of their premium, rather than get it all for free. it would have to actually contribute to the health care drug benefit, assuming he is on part b. as a practical matter, it was a very reasonable amendment. . over the first ten years of this bill, $3 trillion cut in medicare, $3 trillion over the first 20 years of this bill, $3 trillion, when we already know that medicare, according to this chart, is insolvent to the extent of of $38 trillion, insolvent. and yet, we're going to take this money out of medicare, as the senator from arizona has pointed out, and we're going to fund a brand-new entitlement, a brand-new entitlement. we're going to expand medicaid to 133% of poverty with this money and we're going to create this brand-new entitlement which has nothing to do with medicare, nothing to do. none of the people that are going to ge

aarp? aarp makes more money from med cap plans than they sell to seniors. aarp should be opposing the bill but other groups like 60-plus are educating seniors. a.m.a. cut a deal to get their medicare payments addressed by increasing the deficit by $250 billion. and pharma, my god, if there is ever an obscene alliance, agreement that's been made that would harm seniors because it prohibits -- it has the administration against the drug re-importation from canada and competition for -- so now we understand a little bit better why these special interest groups, 500-some of them have visited the white house in recent months, according to white house logs. mr. coburn: the senator would probably be interested to know, the american medical association now represents less than 10% of the actively practicing physicians in this country. the physicians as a whole in this country are adamantly, adamantly opposed to this bill. and the reason they're opposed to this bill is because you are inserting the government between them and their patient. that's why they're opposed

here's another aarp quote. "the new senate bill makes improvements to the medicare program by creating a new annual wellness benefit, providing free preventive benefits and most notably for aarp members, reducing drug costs for seniors that fall between the dreaded medicare doughnut hole that causes a gap in the prescription drug benefit." it's a very important point, mr. president. this bill not only does not cut benefits, it increases benefits for seniors. what is referred to right there, and that's the so-called doughnut hole, the gap in coverage under the prescription drug program, this legislation in effect says that seniors now will have $500 of their drug benefit, prescription drug benefits paid for when they're in that doughnut hole period. and add to that, this bill also says it's all paid for, at least for one year in this doughnut hole. we may have to worry about that in subsequent years but this bill improves the benefits seniors will get, not take away benefits as the other side would imply. now it

a top aarp policy official called this scheme that was supported by 80% of the house republicans just seven months ago, called this scheme a very dangerous idea -- quote, unquote -- saying it would raise costs for all beneficiaries and lower the quality of care for less affluent seniors, lower-income seniors. so now, faced with a plan that actually strengthens medicare, actually saves medicare for the future and makes sure that money goes to medicare beneficiaries rather than to insurance companies in high payments, some colleagues are pulling out all the stops to defend the health care status quo that sends hundreds of billions of dollars in overpayments to private insurance companies, and that's, unfortunately, the result of the mccain amendment, which i strongly oppose. many republicans are resorting to traditional scare tactics and falsehoods, myths. we've heard this over and over again, and you can go to the aarp web site and see the fact that time after time they have put up falsehoods to try to scare seniors, which i think is really outrageous. for proof of just how politically

these are some of the reasons that aarp and 4 million americans are supporting this bill. premiums are reduced for this, mr. president, by 93% of people who will have reduced premiums. this strengthens our fump by cutting our deficit by as much as $1.3 trillion over the next two deck it's a. that's trillion with a t we want to help shape the deliver resystem in our count try. that right in america has 750,000 bankruptcy as year. and it advances the first time in the country that good health will not depend on great wealth. good health should not depend on how much money you have. it acknowledges finally the health care is a fundamental right, that my friend, senator harkin spoke about so clearly. not just a privilege for the most fortunate. president johnson, formerly majority of the united states senate, signed meca

so here's our old friends, the aarp, at it again. at it again. mr.mcconnell: will the senator from arizona yield on this point? is this not the same aarp that would, i'm told, actually benefit frl the decline of -- from the decline of medicare advantage because they sell a policy themselves that would likely then -- more likely be purchased by seniors? is this the same aarp -- mr. mccain: when you lose medicare advantage, as dr. barrasso will fully attest, then you -- they are really almost forced into the so-called medigap policy that would not cover what is covered under medicare advantage, dental, vision, not covered under aspects of medicare advantage. so if -- so if you destroy medicare advantage, people will be forced into the medigap policies. who makes their money off medigap policies? aarp. mr. sessions: just a question about this deal with big phrma. i made reference to and quote interested a few days ago a scathing editorial by robert reich who served as secretary of labor in the clinton administration who is a leading intellectual democra

aarp is an outstanding guardian of the interest and rights of senior citizens and aarp opposed that amendment. the contention has been made that there will be a government takeover of medical care, which has also been disputed and pretty well disapproved. when the government option is offered, it is just that, and i believe america would be well served by having a robust public option. but the option is nothing more or less than what it says. it is one alternative. and private insurers would still be in the picture. there have been repeated contentions that there will be an increase in the deficit. president obama has pledged not to sign a bill which will add to the deficit, and i am pledged not to -- and i have pledged not to vote for a bill which will add to the deficit. when you take a look at what this bill will accomplish, there are very, very substantial savings in the -- in the current costs of medical care which is is $2,400,000,000,000. and i'll be specific in what they are. with annual examinations available and incentives for people to take annual examinations, there will be catchi

the aarp has a sweetheart deal. provision in this deal for them, plans that medigap insurance sold by aarp are exempt from tax on insurance companies. the a.m.a. signed up because of the promise of a doc fix. there was throughout this. we should have set up a tent out in front and put persian rugs out in front of it. that's the way this has been conducted. so of course then the special interests were taken care of. then we had to take care of special senators. and one deal is called we've got new words in our lexicon now -- the louisiana purchase, the cornhusker kickback. i got a new name. the florida flimflam. the one that gives the medicare advantage members in florida around the country the benefit, but my constituents in medicare advantage don't. and so in answer to this -- in answer to a question today, the majority leader said, quote -- "a number of states are treated differently than other states." really? "a number of states are treated different than other states. that's what the legislation is all about. t

the aarp issued a strong statement of support for this bill. the reid bill slashes medicare by almost a half a trillion dollars to finance additional government spending. so why would the nation's largest lobbying organization avow to protect the interests of seniors supporting this legislation? to find the answer, like anything else in washington, just follow the money. aarp takes in more than half of its $1 phoeu -- $1.1 billion budget in royalty fees and other vendors. the medigap plans make up a major sthaeur of -- share of this royalty revenue. aarp has a direct interest in selling more medigap policies or plans. however, there is a strong competitor to medigap policies, and that happens to be the medicare advantage plans. these private plans provide comprehensive coverage, including vision and dental care, at lower premiums for nearly 11 million seniors across the country. seniors enrolled in medicare advantage do not need medigap policies. so what happens when the reid bill slashes this program by almost $120 billion? that's with a "b."

why, aarp. you wonder why aarp is so rabidly behind this bill. well, it's not hard to figure out. it all comes down to money and power. and arrogance of power, really. so what is washington's solution to address this problem an crisis? take up to $500 billion out of this bankrupt program and at the same time push millions of americans into it. does that sound logical to you? the c.m.s. report states in clear terms that the medicare cuts in -- in this bill could jeopardize our seniors's access to care. the cuts will result in nearly 20% of all part-a providers like hospitals and nursing homes they would operate in the red within the next 10 years as a result of these cuts. 20%. that's a pretty big number. it should come as no surprise that this proposal faces strong opposition from a wide variety of provider groups. from doctors and hospitals who are under tremendous financial pressure due to underpayments from medicare. keep in mind the a.m.a. here in washington has backed this monstrosity. now, should i say the a.m.a. -- some people think that represents all of the doctors. it do

that's why it's endorsed by the aarp. we eliminate the prescription drug coverage gap. that's the doughnut hole. we extend the life of the medicare trust fund by nine years. we reduce waste and fraud in medicare and we provide for free yearly wellness visits for seniors. this bill saves medicare. this bill makes our seniors stronger. they will have more benefits and they can never lose their guarantee benefits. small businesses will be able to reduce their cost again by getting immediate tax credit. and in 2014 they will be able to access the exchange as well self-employed people and they will have the power of big business behind them, as they go into those exchanges. i want to talk about public-interest provisions. i wanted a public option, but me be clear. because i thought it would keep the insurance companies honest. but let me tell you what we have in here that our public definitely public-interest provisions. we expand medicaid, that's a public lan, to cover an additional 14 million people. and that starts in 2014 and that's 1.5 million californians. and the fede

aarp cannot be offended. and then we also lock 15 of the 31 million americans -- 15 million of the 31 million americans receives henge health care into a -- americans receiving health care into a program that they have nothing to do with. medical malpractice exclusions, those kinds things that we as republicans have put forward from day one. so the senator from arizona is doing is an outstanding job pointing out the conflicts of interest, the confliblghts of interest that exist in this bill. we have a group on the other side of the aisle that won't address health care in the appropriate way. and i believe are in another room twisted up in knots with themselves trying to figure out a way to get out of this box that they've put themselves into and a president who's basically giving them a pep talk to keep them from getting out of the box. mr. -- senator, thank you so much. mr. mccain: our republican leader is here on the floor of the senate. he can speak for himself. but i'm sure that he would appreciate the op

and the fifth-largest seller of insurance policies in the country happens to be aarp. mr. burr: to eliminate medicare advantage is a tremendous financial windfall to aarp, the association that's supposed to be looking out over the seniors in this country. mr. coburn: we're fairly cynical, and we don't mean to be. we need to wrap up, if we can. there's two ways of fixing health care in this country. one is we got the government running it. and i'd make this point. everybody agrees 2017, 2019, medicare is belly up. medicaid in the states is already belly up. they're all in trouble. it's the number-one thing they spend their money on. they're all running deficits. the census is broke. social security, we know it's going to be broke. the u.s. post office is absolutely broke. the cash for clunkers, broke before we started. highway trust fund, $18 billion to the red. and we're going to put another 16% of health care, 76% instead of 60%, in the hands of the government. or we can utilize what we know works, which if you incentivize the management of chronic disease, if you incenti

the aarp like this is bill. >> the aarp is is in a very interesting situation right now.re spending. they would become a key lobbying group on all of this. the aarp has found itself in a comprimised position and lost a lot of members. you get the drug companies and health insurance on board. then really what you are doing is laying the wait on until you can findly get it through in the end. host: susan on the republican line florida. caller: i'm a senior. i'm concerned about the healthcare bill and i'm concerned with the way the congress is acting and the people who have to vote without reading the bill. i don't like it that ben nelson and the another senator from. i don't like how the two sflarts had to be bribed for their vote. we have to find the money. the last issue is the abortion issue. i have to tell you, i don't know what is going on with it. i am willing i am willing to go to jail. that's how i feel about it. that's how a lot of americans feel about it. this country is fired up about it. people are disgusted with washington and other parties. it's something we k

aarp? aarp makes more money from medil but other groups like 60-plus are educating seniors. a.m.a. cut a deal to get their medicare payments addressed by increasing the deficit by $250 billion. and pharma, my god, if there is ever an obscene alliance, agreement that's been made that would harm seniors because it prohibits -- it has the administration against the drug re-importation from canada and competition for -- so now we understand a little bit better why these special interest groups, 500-some of them have visited the white house in recent months, according to white house logs. mr. coburn: the senator would probably be interested to know, the american medical association now represents less than 10% of the actively practicing physicians in this country. the physicians as a whole in this country are adamantly, adamantly opposed to this bill. and the reason they're opposed to this bill is because you are inserting the government between them and their patient. that's why they're opposed to this bill. so you have the endorsement of the a.m.a., which represents less than 10% of t

host: where has aarp done? guest: they have endorsed the senate bill.ieve you will be talking to one of their lobbyists. they endorsed the house bill. and the a.m.a. in fact endorsed both bills which was a big deal i think for the democrats because, of course, the a.m.a., which used to have a lot more power than it does now, but still a force to be reckoned with, they basically killed almost every effort in health reform going back to the 1930's. doctors were the only porgd medicine for years and years. basically called medicare, you know, socialism. stopped it in its fracks from the late 1940's until it finally passed in 1965 and stopped every effort at every kind of national health insurance for years and years and years. so getting the a.m.a.'s endorsement was also a pretty big deal. host: david sloane is their senior vice president. mr. slonee, what are you watching specifically as the conference committee will be collected on this issue? >> well, we have two co-horts within our membership. those that are in the medicare program today, and those tha

the aarp has a sweetheart deal.provision in this deal for them, plans that medigap insurance sold by aarp are exempt from tax on insurance companies. the a.m.a. signed up because of the promise of a doc fix. there was throughout this. we should have set up a tent out in front and put persian rugs out in front of it. that's the way this has been conducted. so of course then the special interests were taken care of. then we had to take care of special senators. and one deal is called we've got new words in our lexicon now -- the louisiana purchase, the cornhusker kickback. i got a new name. the florida flimflam. the one that gives the medicare advantage members in florida around the country the benefit, but my constituents in medicare advantage don't. and so in answer to this -- in answer to a question today, the majority leader said, quote -- "a number of states are treated differently than other states." really? "a number of states are treated different than other states. that's what the legislation is all about. pr

association, the american diabetes association, american hospital association, federation of hospitals, aarp, notice i pronounced it right today. each of these organizations know the cost and actions to hide that our bill will bring needed relief to millions and millions of americans who wake up every day without health insurance or waking up every day afraid they're going to lose their health insurance. like those in the medical field, our responsibility as legislators is to care for people, not just those that are fortunate. that's what this historic reform fixes. it starts to break down the wall between a class of americans who can afford to stay healthy and those who cannot. americans are dying from diseases we know how to treat. living in pain because it's too expensive to ease. you hear us talk about this a lot and have a lot lately heard us talk about this, but every day, doctors like dr. wilson see it and talk about it. we know the bill will soon be sent to the president that will save lives, save money, extend medicare for ten years and basically save medicare. dr.? >> well, thank y

they cannot afford and the aarp supplemental build.they can afford to pay an extra 150 or $200 a month so what most of the time happens with medicare advantage is we bring people up to what everybody else in medicare gets because most people can afford, 84% of the people in this country can afford to buy medicare supplement the policy because medicare doesn't cover everything, so your idea to try to save money i agree with. by cutting the benefits, i don't agree with that and you are right senator dodd, the basic guaranteed benefits have to be supplied in medicare advantage and then the things above that which you get with a supplemental policy and which you can afford to vies with these people get. what you are taking away from the poorest of our elderly is the ability to have the same care that people who can afford to buy supplemental policy. that is the difference, thank you and i do appreciate my chairman for his courtesy. >> this senate has started debate on the health care bill. majority leader harry reid has warned senators to

american hospital association, the federation of american hospitals, the american cancer society, aarpnoticed a pronounced correctly today. each of these organizations know the cost of inaction is too high. our bill will bring needed relief to millions and millions of americans who wake up every day without health insurance or wake up every day afraid they will lose their health insurance. liken(ñ those in the medical fi, our responsibility is to care for all people, not just those who are fortunate. that is what this historic reform fixes. it starts to break down the wall between a class of americans who can afford to stay clear -- stay healthy and others who cannot. americans are dying from diseases we know how to treat, living in pain because it is too expensive to ease. you hear us talk about this a lot and have la every day, docts see this. they don't talk about it. they see it. they know the bill will soon be sent to the president and will save lives, save money, and extend medicare for 10 years and basically said medicare. doctor? >> well, thank you, senator reid and bank you al

that is why this reform is supported by groups like the aarp, who represent most of america's seniors what this report has to pass on our watch. let's be clear -- the final bill will not include everything that everybody wants. no bill can do that. what i told my former colleagues today is that we simply cannot allow differences over individual elements of this plan to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to solve the long standing and urgent problem for the american people. they are waiting for us to act. they are counting on us to show leadership. i do not intend to let him down and neither do the people standing next to me. there is too much at stake for families who cannot pay their medical bills, see a doctor when they need to, or get the treatment they need. the stakes are enormous for them. the stakes are enormous for business says. es who are already seeing their premiums go up to let least 30%. many critics of this process fail to note what happens if nothing gets done for the american people have to be very clear about this. if we do not get this done, your premiums ar

-- this is not aarp, this is medpac. here's the medpac report. and medpac says that: "medicare advantage plans, 14% -- they pay the medicare advantage plans 14% more than they would spend for similar beneficiaries in the medicare program. that's a subsidy of $3.26 for each dollar of enhanced benefits. so the medicare folks are subsidizing additional payments to a program that is paying more than the other -- than regularly paid, and it goes straight to the insurance company. it doesn't make sense for tax dollars to be spent that way. finally, let me just say he referenced massachusetts. let me read from the massachusetts taxpayers' foundation. it is the most conservative. it is -- it is constantly protecting the expenditure of tax dollars. everyone in the state looks to it on issues of tax policy and expenditure, and here's what it says about our plan in massachusetts." the cost to taxpayers of achieving near universal coverage has been relatively modest and well within initial projections of how much the state would hav

let me read the aarp letter which was sent yesterday." on behalf of the aarp's nearly 40 million members, we urge you to support the dorgan-snowe importation amendment to h.r. 3590, the senate health care reform legislation. the amendment provides for safe, legal importation of lower priced prescription drugs from abroad. c.b.o. has scored the amendment as saving more than than $19 billion." that's just for the federal government. there is much more for consumers." we also urge you to vote against an alternative importation amendment proposed by senator lautenberg and menendez. the aarp strongly opposes this amendment because it includes the unnecessary addition of a certification requirement which is simply a thinly veiled effort to undermine importation and preserve the status quo of high drug prices. -- drug prices." so there it is. we are always told there is this finely crafted piece, like embroidering with lots of sophisticated colors, this finely crafted piece, and don't mess with it because if you pass your amendment somehow, the

that's why the aarp supports it. it will provide annual physicals for our seniors. this bill is important for our business owners an will no longer be discriminated by paying 20% more than the comparable large companies pay for an insurance product. mr. president, this bill is good for marylanders. it's -- it's good for every american. it moves us toward universal coverage. the bill is not perfect. there are things -- i'm disappointed by some of the things that are in the bill, some of the things that didn't make it into the bill. but, mr. president, this bill establishes the framework for universal, afordable quality care for every american. it speaks to the values of our nation. i'm proud to support this legislation and i know that we will look back that the day as being one of the bright moments for america where we said to the people of our nation, that, indeed, we will provide affordable, quality health care for every american. with that, mr. president, i would yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from montana is recognized. mr. baucus: mr. presi

we have been working with aarp, the an and the cato institute. very different groups philosophically, but they all agree we need more competition. we need to open the border to safe -- and i emphasize and underline safe f.d.a. approved prescription drugs. so that we're focused on not what's best for the pharmaceutical industry, brand named companies, but what's best for american citizens that are struggling that see their prices go up 5%, 6%, 8%, 10% every year. they cannot sustain that. how many of us stood on the floor and talked about the fact that people are choosing between food and medicine. that's not just rhetoric. it's not rhetoric. it's real. it's real for people right now today. it's getting cold. it's getting very cold. people are deciding, am i going to keep the heat on or get my medicine. am i going to be able to get my food? am i going to be able to get my -- pay my mortgage or get the prescription. or my child's life or wife's life to live a successful life. that's what this is about. we have an easy straightforward way to increas

our friends at aarp, which average $175 a month.we're telling people, who are in medicare advantage today, when they lose it, they will be -- can be guaranteed if they want to make up for those benefits they're losing, they would be paying $175 a month, minimum, for a medigap policy. a lot of american seniors cannot afford that. and that's just a fact. $2,000 a year. they can't afford it. mr. coburn: i would make one other point is over the next ten years, 15 million baby boomers are going to go into medicare. 15 million. and we're taking $465 billion out of medicare, and on a real ten-year picture, $1 there tri. what do you think is going to happen to care for everybody in medicare? what do you think is going to happen? the ultimate is we're going to ration the care for seniors in this country. if this bill comes through. life expectancies will decline. the presiding officer: there's 35 minute minutes remaining. mr. mccain: in other words, five minutes for this -- the presiding officer: five minutes remaining for you. mr. mccain: d

that is why it is endorsed by the aarp. we eliminate the prescription drug coverage gap. we extend the life of the medicare trust fund by nine years. we reduce waste and fraud in medicare and we provide for free yearly visits for seniors. this bill saves medicare. this bill makes our senior stronger. they will have more benefits and they can never lose their guaranteed benefits. small businesses will be able to reduce their costs, again by getting immediate tax credits ended 2014 they will be able to access the exchange as well self-employed people and they will have the power of big business behind them as they go into those exchanges. i want to talk about public interest revisions. i wanted a public option, let me be clear because i felt it would keep the insurance companies on this. but let me tell you what we have been here that our public, definitely public interest provisions. we expand medicaid. that is the public plan, to cover an additional 14 million people and that starts in 2014 and that is 1.5 million californians in the federal government in my state will pa

the fact that aarp supports this legislation is being funded by cuts in the growth of medicare is really quite significant. i am more sanguine that we can do something in terms of controlling growth in health- care costs. it will continue to grow faster than the rest of the economy. it will continue to go up but if you look at the late 1990's, some predicted that we would be spending over national -- 20% and wearily spending 16%. over the years, we have found ways to -- we need to control health-care costs and we do. you can go back to the early 1970's, and out of the nixon administration, there were voluntary controls in the hospital sector under carter because the risks concern that there would be mandatory controls. we saw a big dip in and inflation and health care during the managed care revolution of the mid-1990s. in the past couple of years, the distance between growth in wages and growth in health care costs has slackened in part because we are bruce deductibles and co- payments. there are ways in which we can control health-care costs. i think they will continue to exceed the ec

and i -- i hate to say it, but aarp is a prime example of that. it's not hard to see why they are really behind this great big, huge 2,074-page monstrosity of a bill. holy cow. no wonder they don't place this on every desk. maybe they will. when they do, they'll probably put it so that there are two pages on one sheet so it will look a little smaller, but it will still be that thick at least. but it ought to be on every desk. we could even thumb through it while we're debating and while others are talking. just think what that would do for all of us members of the senate if we just thumb through some of the things that we're doing to america. remember, this is 1/6 of the american economy. we can wreck our country with this bill if we -- if we take this awful thing and we turn our future hundred% over to the almighty federal government that has already put these two wonderful programs, medicare and medicaid, almost in bankruptcy. those programs could be better. there's no question. but they're run by washington so naturally we're just going to call

one is an organization that looks like it is an alternative to aarp which ends up being a website orneled through a p. firm in d.c. that gets its funds from the pharmaceutical industry. another one looks like another nonprofit organization by the website and go to that website and it's a domain nan owned by another firm and gets the money from the tobacco industry primarily. >> i am glad you didn't say the >> i'm sure. >> but we are cobombarded not knowing where this money is coming from which appears to be coming from more of a nonpartisan group which obviously is. so it's very difficult for congress to behave responsibly when there is so much money out there and for many years there was sort of a check on negative campaigning because you knew as a candidate if you launched a negative campaign, it could backfire. but when it's done by amorphous groups and nobody quite knows who they are, then the dynamic is very different. >> could be worse. you would be living in little rock where all you see is health care commercials on "it's a wonderful life." >> but that is an inescapable part

it is a proposal that is supported by the aarp. reverse mortgages are unique mortgage products that allow homeowners over age 62 to borrow against their homes to receive a cash or line of credit. the loan is paid back when the homeowner dies or sells the home. in the past three years more than 335,000 federal insured reverse mortgages have been issued to seniors. unfortunately, all is not well in the reverse mortgage market. an october report by the national consumer law center found many of the abusive practice that is were common in the subprime lending market before its collapse are also common in reverse mortgage transactions. those practices include high fees, incentives for brokers that are harmful to borrowers, and lenders steering consumers to products more costly than are necessary. also, securitization as in the subprime market is becoming more common for reverse mortgages. unfortunately, the complexity of the loans and the age of the typical borrower have made the reverse mortgage market ripe for scam artists. we have to

. >> host: as far as lobbing efforts as far as what goes on from here, where does aarp fall into that? >> guest: aarp has endorsed by the at the end they did endorse the senate bill, i think we'll be talking to one of their lobbyist that they endorse the house bill. and the ama in fact endorsed both bills, which was a big, a big deal i think for the democrats because of course the ama witches have a lot more power than it does now, but still a force to be reckoned with. they basically killed almost every effort going back to the 1930s, organized medicine which was the only doctors were the only organized medicine there was for years and years. acyclic old medicare socialism. stopped in its tracks until, you know, from the late 1940s until finally passed in 1965 and stop every effort at any kind of national health insurance for years and years and years. getting the ama's endorsement was also a pretty big deal. >> host: david sloan of the aarp, there's a government relations senior vice president. mr. slocum as the process moves forward what are you watching specifically as the confere

the aarp like this is bill. >> the aarp is is in a very interesting situation right now.plan that i can't imagine if you were to take a poll of their members would cut the medicare spending. they would become a key lobbying group on all of this. the aarp has found itself in a comprimised position and lost a lot of members. you get the drug companies and health insurance on board. then really what you are doing is laying the wait on until you can findly get it through in the end. host: susan on the republican line florida. caller: i'm a senior. i'm concerned about the healthcare bill and i'm concerned with the way the congress is acting and the people who have to vote without reading the bill. i don't like it that ben nelson and the another senator from . i don't like how the two sflarts had to be bribed for their vote. we have to find the money. the last issue is the abortion issue. i have to tell you, i don't know what is going on with it. i am willing i am willing to go to jail. that's how i feel about it. that's how a lot of americans feel about it. this country is fir

there is a long list of organizations that support the patient's rights amendment that i offered to aarp, the consumer union, families u.s.a., national women's law center, american academy of all the different specialists. it's an important amendment, and i'm glad to see that it's in the manager's amendment. i'm proud of major new efforts that have been included in the manager's amendment. i want to talk about minority health for one moment, and i particularly want to thank a member of my staff, priscilla ross, who has been working on this issue for many years. she pointed out to me the vulnerability of minority populations in america. let me just give you a couple examples. the life expectancy for an african-american is 5.3 years less than someone who is white. minorities are two times more likely to have diabetes. african-americans or 33% have higher death rates for heart disease than the white population, and the list goes on and on and on. access to care in the minority communities is much less than in the general communities at large. so we need to do something about this, and the a

host: where has aarp done? guest: they have endorsed the senate bill.ve you will be talking to one of their lobbyists. they endorsed the house bill. and the a.m.a. in fact endorsed both bills which was a big deal i think for the democrats because, of course, the a.m.a., which used to have a lot more power than it does now, but still a force to be reckoned with, they basically killed almost every effort in health reform going back to the 1930's. doctors were the only porgd medicine for years and years. basically called medicare, you know, socialism. stopped it in its fracks from the late 1940's until it finally passed in 1965 and stopped every effort at every kind of national health insurance for years and years and years. so getting the a.m.a.'s endorsement was also a pretty big deal. host: david sloane is their senior vice president. mr. slonee, what are you watching specifically as the conference committee will be collected on this issue? >> well, we have two co-horts within our membership. those that are in the medicare program today, and those that

deal with aarp to sell out seniors.what critics miss this is the core governing principle of the major parties. cynical game -- carver of the country and give the piece is to winning coalition. they don't see how the children and future generations are always in the losing coalition of the crooked deals. they have no bones. our political class already burdened them with $100 trillion in entitlement timebomb spirit of what is the democratic solution? new, costly entitlement, which is only going to speed the day of fiscal reckoning. america's children will be stuck with a colossal tax bill. to me it is like a bitter irony that america was founded on the principle of no taxation without representation. guest: first off, just to clarify entitlement -- it is a health care issue. if you look at social security, costs rise gradually and there is a simple reason, we are projected to live longer. i have been on panels with these 20 years old, saying what a new baby boomers doing -- it will making a possible to live longer. the o

that is why this reform a supported by groups like the aarp that represents most of american seniors. that is why this reform has to pass on our watch. thunell let's be clear. the final bill would include everything that everybody wants. no bill can do that. but what i told my former colleagues today is that we simply cannot allow differences over individual elements of this plan to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to solve a longstanding and urgent problem for the american people. they are waiting for us to act. they are counting on us to show leadership. and i don't intend to let them down and neither do the people standing next to me. there is too much at stake for families who can't pay their medical bills or see a doctor when they need to or get the treatment they need. the stakes are enormous for them the stakes are enormous for businesses, who are already seeing their premiums go up 15, 20, 30%. a lot of the critics of this entire process fail to note what happens if nothing gets done and the american people have to be very clear about this. if we don't get this done