It will not be cost effective for private plans to offer coverage in rural areas, which will result in expensive government subsidies to attract plans to rural areas. Rural seniors should not be forced to pay higher premiums or have less generous benefits, simply because they live in areas that are not financially attractive to private insurance companies. My fellow conservative Democratic Blue Dogs and I are not hostile to private sector solutions. Meanwhile, the role of the government is to provide benefits in situations of great need that go unanswered by business. Officials from the Health Insurance Association of America themselves have stated that insurance companies would not develop the private sector plans called for under the Republican proposal because they would not be profitable.
Seniors deserve certainty about getting help with their prescription drugs.
They deserve to be treated equally, regardless of whether they live in rural communities like my District or big cities like Dallas. They deserve to have their government supporting them with their most basic life needs. They deserve to have a Medicare program which is modernized in a way that reassures them the program will be strong for their grandkids. Sadly, seniors are not going to get what they deserve today. It s a shame that some people will pretend that they will.