Pelosi Statement on AARP Endorsement of Medicare Prescription Drug Bill

November 17, 2003

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today regarding the announcement that the AARP had endorsed the Republican Medicare prescription drug bill:

"In July, AARP sent Medicare prescription drug conferees a letter outlining many serious problems with the Medicare bill -- dropping current retiree coverage, the coverage gap, means testing, and premium support. AARP said that these 'must be fixed before AARP and its members could support the final conference agreement.' Yet in the deal outlined by Republicans yesterday, these problems remain.

"I am deeply disappointed that AARP’s national leadership has been co-opted by Republicans pushing a partisan bill that fails to provide a real prescription drug benefit under Medicare and does not meet the principles AARP had insisted upon. The country cannot afford a Trojan horse deal, which purports to help America’s seniors, but is really a cruel hoax that dismantles Medicare and does not provide seniors an affordable, defined, guaranteed Medicare prescription drug benefit."

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