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Remarks by President Trump on Protecting America's Seniors - October 16, 2020
But I'm the only one standing between their open borders and extremism and the healthcare benefits that you've earned and paid for - all your life you paid for. As long as I'm President, no one will lay a hand on your Medicare or your Social Security. (Applause.)
As a candidate, I made a sacred promise that I'd strengthen, protect, and defend your Medicare benefits, and that's exactly what I've done. I've done that, right? (Applause.)
My administration has fought to deliver greater security, affordability, fairness, economic stability to our nation's seniors. Under eight years of the previous administration, premiums for Medicare health plans went up, including a 25 percent increase right here in Florida. That's for the previous people.
Under my administration, we've lowered Medicare Advantage premiums by a number nobody even believes - 34 percent nationwide. (Applause.) And today it's the lowest level in 14 years. Did you know that, Ron? That's not a bad thing for you to put into your speech, right? Who would think that? No, but seriously, we've brought it way down. They've done a great - this group over here, they've done a great job.
Thanks to our efforts - (applause) - there are 2,000 - thank you. There are 2,000 more Medicare Advantage plans today than there were three years ago, Seema. Huh? That's incredible. Think of it. That means more choice and more competition for better care at a much lower cost.
When we rapidly expanded telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries during the pandemic, the number of telehealth users increased from 14,000 a week to 1.7 million a week. What's that percentage? (Applause.)
Yet, all of this danger - it's all in danger because if these other people get in, they will end all of that. The telehealth, it's - you know, it's interesting. We've learned something. For children, they're much better in a classroom than they are on a laptop. Okay? Children. (Applause.) But for your health, and what you can do, you can do so much of it. It's such a big percentage. Better than going out and going through - this telehealth has been amazing. It's been really incredible. It's been an incredible thing.
So it's - it's increased like 6-, 7,000 - I think 6,500 percent. And it's probably the only thing that came out of this whole deal that we really can take pleasure at: telehealth. So it's been really an incredible thing that's happened.
Over 130 Democrats in Congress, including far-left Senator Kamala Harris, who is the most left -
AUDIENCE: Booo -
THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) I said, "He'll never choose her because nobody treated him worse than her." Nobody. Plus, she was - her poll numbers were sinking. She never even got to Iowa. She never got there. And when I said, "Oh..." - and, by the way, did Mike Pence do a good job the other day? (Applause.) Right? He's a good man. Did a great job.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: And I had a great - thank you. I had a really - (laughs) - I had a lot of fun last night with that. That was a nice - (laughter) - that was a nice evening. It was a nice, pleasurable evening, as I have somebody going totally crazy last night. (Laughter.)
But I told you - I told you that. She told me she's going to - oh, okay I believe you, right? (Laughter.)
No, but I understand that worked out very well last night. That's what the word is. So that's good. (Applause.) Another evening in paradise, I call it. (Laughter.)
They're sponsoring a socialist healthcare plan that would annihilate your Medicare. The Democrats' policy proposals may go by different names - they put all sorts of names. They say "single payer" or so-called the "public option," but really, they're all based on the same core promise: raiding Medicare to fund a socialist healthcare takeover. And it's going to destroy your Medicare. That's the one thing you know for sure.
Every one of their plans involves rationing care, restricting access, denying coverage, slashing quality, extending wait times, and massively raising your taxes. Other than that, it's actually quite good. (Laughter.)
As we know from seeing these left-wing policies in action around the world, seniors will be the victims. And that's what happens. The first to go are the seniors. The victims are really the seniors. It's - you know, this is nothing that unique.
Socialist healthcare plans always end up denying care and coverage to the sick and the elderly in order to control costs. And they always feel that this is the easiest way to do it. We must not let them bring this lethal and deadly agenda to America. Don't let it happen. (Applause.) You got to vote them out. Get out and vote.
Democrat healthcare proposals would abolish private insurance for 180 million Americans. Just so you know, there are many people - they've had a good life, they've done well, they have private plans. They are unbelievable. They love their plan. Those plans are gone. Those plans are gone.
They'd abolish the Medicare Advantage program that benefits 24 million seniors, including one out of two Hispanic seniors and one out of three African American seniors who enrolled in the Medicare Advantage, right? And that would all be ended, it would be abolished for big, fat, ugly socialized medicine. You go to a hospital - if you don't feel good, go to a hospital room and wait for three days to see a doctor.
I will never allow that to happen. Under my administration, your Medicare Advantage is safe, your benefits are protected, and I will always protect patients with preexisting conditions. Always. Always. (Applause.) Always.
They always play that card, right? You know, remember, they used to say, "Oh, he's going to give up..." - first they said I was going to be in a war within the first week. Whatever happened to that, right? (Laughter.) Just the opposite. Our great warriors are coming home. They're all coming home. They're all coming home. (Applause.)
Look at North Korea; they thought it would be a war - in a war immediately with North Korea. How's that worked out, right? It's worked out very nicely. You know, talk; we'll talk, keep talking. But it worked out very well.
But the other thing they'd say, "He will destroy your Social Security." Really? Did I? I said, "No." No, they're going to destroy, because they'll destroy our country. They'll destroy your Social Security and they'll destroy your country. And Joe won't have any idea what happened because he's gone. Let's face it. (Laughter.) He's gone.
Another critical issue for senior citizens is the price of prescription drugs. This is something I'm very proud of, because we've lowered Part D prescription drug premiums by 12 percent, saving senior citizens $1.9 billion. (Applause.) But the big is yet to come.
I stood up to big pharma, and that's not easy. They got big money. They're the biggest lobbyists in this country, by far. And I signed an executive order implementing a "most favored nations" policy for the United States. (Applause.) You know, for years, you've heard we pay more for drugs than any other country. Well, that's not even close. We pay much more.
And then other countries, that we know very well, take advantage of us, and they pay a fraction. I mean, a frac- - you wouldn't even believe how much less. But a fraction. Ten cents for a pill as opposed to two dollars for a pill. Same pill from the same lab, plant. Right? And I instituted a favored nations clause. I said, "If Germany or some other country is getting our stuff low, I want a favored nations." Meaning, I want it for the same price. And they have gone crazy. (Applause.)
I have never seen so many ads. They put on more ads against me now than Sleepy Joe Biden. (Laughter.) I'm telling you.
And they understand, and it's - you know, look, it should have been done a long time ago. This should have been done years ago. Plus, I got rid of the middlemen. And I gave Ron DeSantis the right to go to Canada in the meantime, because I think eventually you'll be using this. But in the meantime - (applause) - you'll also be getting the rebates. Okay? Rebates - you know who they go to? The middlemen. You know how rich the middlemen are? I'm rich. These guys blow everyone away. I don't know - nobody even knows who the hell they are. Did you ever hear - does anybody know a middleman?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible) Biden! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: We'd like to meet.
Yeah, it's Biden's son. It's Hunter. (Laughter.) Oh, it's Hunter. (Applause.) Oh - I'll bet you Hunter is a middleman; he's collecting - he's like a vacuum cleaner. He follows his father around collecting. (Applause.) What a lot of disgrace. It's a crime family. (Applause.) You want to know something? It's a crime family. He's following his father. Hunter Biden is a middleman. Oh, that's wild. No, these people are amazing. These middlemen - you're right.
Hunter made no money until his father became Vice President, and now he's like a vacuum cleaner. (Laughter.) His father goes to Germany; Hunter is right there. "Hey, give me a couple of million." Not couple of million; a hell of a lot more than a couple of million. It's a shame. I'll tell you what: It's an organized crime family, as far as I'm concerned. (Applause.)
I capped out-of-pocket costs. And the way they get protected by big tech and by the media - the media doesn't want to ask - you know, they didn't ask - this is the hottest subject there is right now. And I didn't watch Sleepy Joe last night. I just wanted to see what he looked like. He wasn't looking too good. (Laughter.) I just couldn't watch. It was too painful. (Laughter.) But - but, you know, they didn't - I understand that they did not ask him a question about this. Can you believe it?
No, think of it. And Stephanopoulos interviewed me two weeks ago, and it was a - you know, he was nasty. (Laughter.) He was nasty. I mean, he was tough. He was - he's a tough guy. I watched last night - the little stuff I watched - and what I heard, it was like softballs everywhere. It was so - but he didn't - this is the hottest subject there is. They didn't ask him one question about their corruption in the family. They didn't ask him one question about how big tech is protecting him.
Big tech is not allowing anybody - how about this? They took down, I guess, Kayleigh, but they took - how about Kayleigh? Is she great? No, but they took down - (applause) - they took down her Twitter site because she had the audacity to put up an article written in the New York Post, which is one of the biggest newspapers in the country. I think it's the oldest newspaper in the country. And they put up a article, and they took down her site. Can you believe what's going on in this country?
And then they talk about - they talk about "freedom of the press." They also said last night - it was very interesting; they talked about the transition, the friendly transition. "Will you agree to the friendly trans-..." And, of course, the answer is "yes." First of all, I don't think there's going to be a transition, because we're going to win. (Applause.) But, you know. Let's hope we don't have to worry about it.
No, but think of this. They get up, "We demand a friendly transition." And yet we caught them spying on my campaign and trying to take down the President of the United States. Right? That wasn't too friendly. Right? That wasn't too friendly. And they - and we caught them cold.
Anyway, let's get back to the medical parts of the world. This is much simpler to understand if you think about it.
But I capped out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 a month. People were going - literally, they were going bankrupt over insulin, or they weren't getting the insulin, which is a terrible thing. So it's $35 a month or less for seniors in many Medicare drug plans, saving them an average of nearly $450. I mean, that's a tremendous saving. Right? (Applause.)
In many cases, much less than 35. Seema, in many cases, much less than the 35, right? Did you say one dollar, in some cases? What's your lowest number? Come on, Seema, let's hear it.
ADMINISTRATOR VERMA: (Inaudible.
THE PRESIDENT: Huh? I - she doesn't want to get too much. I think maybe one dollar is too much. Okay. She's very straight. She's a straight player. And you brought it down from what number? The 35, down from what, Seema?
ADMINISTRATOR VERMA: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Tremendously, yeah. It's a great job, but you - you did that. But she would come up to me for a year and a half talking about the insulin. The insulin is the biggest - it's such a problem for people, where they just - they'd go without it. They had no choice because it was too expensive.
Go Back
As a candidate, I made a sacred promise that I'd strengthen, protect, and defend your Medicare benefits, and that's exactly what I've done. I've done that, right? (Applause.)
My administration has fought to deliver greater security, affordability, fairness, economic stability to our nation's seniors. Under eight years of the previous administration, premiums for Medicare health plans went up, including a 25 percent increase right here in Florida. That's for the previous people.
Under my administration, we've lowered Medicare Advantage premiums by a number nobody even believes - 34 percent nationwide. (Applause.) And today it's the lowest level in 14 years. Did you know that, Ron? That's not a bad thing for you to put into your speech, right? Who would think that? No, but seriously, we've brought it way down. They've done a great - this group over here, they've done a great job.
Thanks to our efforts - (applause) - there are 2,000 - thank you. There are 2,000 more Medicare Advantage plans today than there were three years ago, Seema. Huh? That's incredible. Think of it. That means more choice and more competition for better care at a much lower cost.
When we rapidly expanded telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries during the pandemic, the number of telehealth users increased from 14,000 a week to 1.7 million a week. What's that percentage? (Applause.)
Yet, all of this danger - it's all in danger because if these other people get in, they will end all of that. The telehealth, it's - you know, it's interesting. We've learned something. For children, they're much better in a classroom than they are on a laptop. Okay? Children. (Applause.) But for your health, and what you can do, you can do so much of it. It's such a big percentage. Better than going out and going through - this telehealth has been amazing. It's been really incredible. It's been an incredible thing.
So it's - it's increased like 6-, 7,000 - I think 6,500 percent. And it's probably the only thing that came out of this whole deal that we really can take pleasure at: telehealth. So it's been really an incredible thing that's happened.
Over 130 Democrats in Congress, including far-left Senator Kamala Harris, who is the most left -
AUDIENCE: Booo -
THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) I said, "He'll never choose her because nobody treated him worse than her." Nobody. Plus, she was - her poll numbers were sinking. She never even got to Iowa. She never got there. And when I said, "Oh..." - and, by the way, did Mike Pence do a good job the other day? (Applause.) Right? He's a good man. Did a great job.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: And I had a great - thank you. I had a really - (laughs) - I had a lot of fun last night with that. That was a nice - (laughter) - that was a nice evening. It was a nice, pleasurable evening, as I have somebody going totally crazy last night. (Laughter.)
But I told you - I told you that. She told me she's going to - oh, okay I believe you, right? (Laughter.)
No, but I understand that worked out very well last night. That's what the word is. So that's good. (Applause.) Another evening in paradise, I call it. (Laughter.)
They're sponsoring a socialist healthcare plan that would annihilate your Medicare. The Democrats' policy proposals may go by different names - they put all sorts of names. They say "single payer" or so-called the "public option," but really, they're all based on the same core promise: raiding Medicare to fund a socialist healthcare takeover. And it's going to destroy your Medicare. That's the one thing you know for sure.
Every one of their plans involves rationing care, restricting access, denying coverage, slashing quality, extending wait times, and massively raising your taxes. Other than that, it's actually quite good. (Laughter.)
As we know from seeing these left-wing policies in action around the world, seniors will be the victims. And that's what happens. The first to go are the seniors. The victims are really the seniors. It's - you know, this is nothing that unique.
Socialist healthcare plans always end up denying care and coverage to the sick and the elderly in order to control costs. And they always feel that this is the easiest way to do it. We must not let them bring this lethal and deadly agenda to America. Don't let it happen. (Applause.) You got to vote them out. Get out and vote.
Democrat healthcare proposals would abolish private insurance for 180 million Americans. Just so you know, there are many people - they've had a good life, they've done well, they have private plans. They are unbelievable. They love their plan. Those plans are gone. Those plans are gone.
They'd abolish the Medicare Advantage program that benefits 24 million seniors, including one out of two Hispanic seniors and one out of three African American seniors who enrolled in the Medicare Advantage, right? And that would all be ended, it would be abolished for big, fat, ugly socialized medicine. You go to a hospital - if you don't feel good, go to a hospital room and wait for three days to see a doctor.
I will never allow that to happen. Under my administration, your Medicare Advantage is safe, your benefits are protected, and I will always protect patients with preexisting conditions. Always. Always. (Applause.) Always.
They always play that card, right? You know, remember, they used to say, "Oh, he's going to give up..." - first they said I was going to be in a war within the first week. Whatever happened to that, right? (Laughter.) Just the opposite. Our great warriors are coming home. They're all coming home. They're all coming home. (Applause.)
Look at North Korea; they thought it would be a war - in a war immediately with North Korea. How's that worked out, right? It's worked out very nicely. You know, talk; we'll talk, keep talking. But it worked out very well.
But the other thing they'd say, "He will destroy your Social Security." Really? Did I? I said, "No." No, they're going to destroy, because they'll destroy our country. They'll destroy your Social Security and they'll destroy your country. And Joe won't have any idea what happened because he's gone. Let's face it. (Laughter.) He's gone.
Another critical issue for senior citizens is the price of prescription drugs. This is something I'm very proud of, because we've lowered Part D prescription drug premiums by 12 percent, saving senior citizens $1.9 billion. (Applause.) But the big is yet to come.
I stood up to big pharma, and that's not easy. They got big money. They're the biggest lobbyists in this country, by far. And I signed an executive order implementing a "most favored nations" policy for the United States. (Applause.) You know, for years, you've heard we pay more for drugs than any other country. Well, that's not even close. We pay much more.
And then other countries, that we know very well, take advantage of us, and they pay a fraction. I mean, a frac- - you wouldn't even believe how much less. But a fraction. Ten cents for a pill as opposed to two dollars for a pill. Same pill from the same lab, plant. Right? And I instituted a favored nations clause. I said, "If Germany or some other country is getting our stuff low, I want a favored nations." Meaning, I want it for the same price. And they have gone crazy. (Applause.)
I have never seen so many ads. They put on more ads against me now than Sleepy Joe Biden. (Laughter.) I'm telling you.
And they understand, and it's - you know, look, it should have been done a long time ago. This should have been done years ago. Plus, I got rid of the middlemen. And I gave Ron DeSantis the right to go to Canada in the meantime, because I think eventually you'll be using this. But in the meantime - (applause) - you'll also be getting the rebates. Okay? Rebates - you know who they go to? The middlemen. You know how rich the middlemen are? I'm rich. These guys blow everyone away. I don't know - nobody even knows who the hell they are. Did you ever hear - does anybody know a middleman?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible) Biden! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: We'd like to meet.
Yeah, it's Biden's son. It's Hunter. (Laughter.) Oh, it's Hunter. (Applause.) Oh - I'll bet you Hunter is a middleman; he's collecting - he's like a vacuum cleaner. He follows his father around collecting. (Applause.) What a lot of disgrace. It's a crime family. (Applause.) You want to know something? It's a crime family. He's following his father. Hunter Biden is a middleman. Oh, that's wild. No, these people are amazing. These middlemen - you're right.
Hunter made no money until his father became Vice President, and now he's like a vacuum cleaner. (Laughter.) His father goes to Germany; Hunter is right there. "Hey, give me a couple of million." Not couple of million; a hell of a lot more than a couple of million. It's a shame. I'll tell you what: It's an organized crime family, as far as I'm concerned. (Applause.)
I capped out-of-pocket costs. And the way they get protected by big tech and by the media - the media doesn't want to ask - you know, they didn't ask - this is the hottest subject there is right now. And I didn't watch Sleepy Joe last night. I just wanted to see what he looked like. He wasn't looking too good. (Laughter.) I just couldn't watch. It was too painful. (Laughter.) But - but, you know, they didn't - I understand that they did not ask him a question about this. Can you believe it?
No, think of it. And Stephanopoulos interviewed me two weeks ago, and it was a - you know, he was nasty. (Laughter.) He was nasty. I mean, he was tough. He was - he's a tough guy. I watched last night - the little stuff I watched - and what I heard, it was like softballs everywhere. It was so - but he didn't - this is the hottest subject there is. They didn't ask him one question about their corruption in the family. They didn't ask him one question about how big tech is protecting him.
Big tech is not allowing anybody - how about this? They took down, I guess, Kayleigh, but they took - how about Kayleigh? Is she great? No, but they took down - (applause) - they took down her Twitter site because she had the audacity to put up an article written in the New York Post, which is one of the biggest newspapers in the country. I think it's the oldest newspaper in the country. And they put up a article, and they took down her site. Can you believe what's going on in this country?
And then they talk about - they talk about "freedom of the press." They also said last night - it was very interesting; they talked about the transition, the friendly transition. "Will you agree to the friendly trans-..." And, of course, the answer is "yes." First of all, I don't think there's going to be a transition, because we're going to win. (Applause.) But, you know. Let's hope we don't have to worry about it.
No, but think of this. They get up, "We demand a friendly transition." And yet we caught them spying on my campaign and trying to take down the President of the United States. Right? That wasn't too friendly. Right? That wasn't too friendly. And they - and we caught them cold.
Anyway, let's get back to the medical parts of the world. This is much simpler to understand if you think about it.
But I capped out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 a month. People were going - literally, they were going bankrupt over insulin, or they weren't getting the insulin, which is a terrible thing. So it's $35 a month or less for seniors in many Medicare drug plans, saving them an average of nearly $450. I mean, that's a tremendous saving. Right? (Applause.)
In many cases, much less than 35. Seema, in many cases, much less than the 35, right? Did you say one dollar, in some cases? What's your lowest number? Come on, Seema, let's hear it.
ADMINISTRATOR VERMA: (Inaudible.
THE PRESIDENT: Huh? I - she doesn't want to get too much. I think maybe one dollar is too much. Okay. She's very straight. She's a straight player. And you brought it down from what number? The 35, down from what, Seema?
ADMINISTRATOR VERMA: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Tremendously, yeah. It's a great job, but you - you did that. But she would come up to me for a year and a half talking about the insulin. The insulin is the biggest - it's such a problem for people, where they just - they'd go without it. They had no choice because it was too expensive.
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