When Medicare was first enacted in 1965, it provided coverage for hospitalization, doctor visits and surgeries, but there was no coverage for prescription medications.

On January 1, 2006, Medicare will begin to offer a prescription drug benefit, and for the first time, it will place an emphasis on preventive care and early treatment of disease.

Every Medicare beneficiary can choose whether they want prescription drug coverage or not,

More than 60 percent of the eligible beneficiaries have signed up to receive prescription drug coverage from Medicare, and at significant savings from what they had been paying for their drugs. In the past month alone, about 380,000 Americans signed up each week. Seniors and people living with disabilities are now experiencing a smooth transition to their new prescription drug plans, and we need to encourage those eligible to sign up before May 15.

If Congress will pass a plan that gives real, voluntary Medicare prescription drug coverage ... then I will sign a marriage penalty relief law,

Medicare provided guaranteed equal coverage, something that the private sector could not.