FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 22, 2003
1:02 PM
 CONTACT:  Alliance for Retired Americans
 Ilana Sabban, 202-974-8264 or isabban@retiredamericans.org
Alliance For Retired Americans Outraged Over Medicare Bill
   WASHINGTON - November 22 - This is a sad day for America's seniors. In the dead of night Tom Delay and the Republican leadership worked against America's seniors. They held the vote on a bad prescription drug benefit, for an unprecedented an disgraceful three hours. Normally votes are taken in fifteen minutes. Just as Newt Gingrich predicted, we saw first hand last night how Tom Delay and the Republicans are allowing Medicare to wither on the vine. Shame on Congress that they didn't take the time to do the work to give seniors a comprehensive prescription drug benefit.

Shame on Congress for opening the door to privatize Medicare.

Shame on Congress for allowing 2.7 million retirees to lose their existing coverage.

Shame on Congress for not allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.

Shame on Congress for protecting the profits of the pharmaceutical and insurance industries over the needs of older Americans.

The Alliance for Retired Americans is outraged that Congress failed to do its work. We have said from the beginning that no bill is better than a bad bill, and we do not agree with those who say that though the bill is imperfect it's all we can get. This is about choices, and Congress has chosen profits over people.

We think it's disgraceful that members of Congress have passed a bad bill so they can go home and claim a hollow political victory. The Alliance for Retired Americans will not stop until we get a decent bill. We hope the Senate will now do the right thing and vote this bill down.

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