I will whole-heartedly support the Democratic proposal to provide a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.
Support the Democratic proposal to create a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.
Occurrences
Evidence
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Shown Here: Introduced in House (06/26/2002) ... Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a new part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) under which each individual who is entitled to benefits under Medicare part A ... is entitled to obtain qualified prescription drug coverage.
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I was pleased to support H.R. 2631 which guarantees that the legislation designed to provide Medicare recipients with some prescription drug coverage would not lead to the creation of an inferior prescription-drug benefit for retired federal employees. The Republican version of the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill ... is a bad piece of legislation ...
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# Roll Call 332 ... Vote Question: On Passage ... Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act ... Representative Van Hollen Democratic Maryland MD No
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Van Hollen said he was pleased to support H.R. 2631 because the Medicare prescription-drug legislation could create an inferior benefit for retired federal employees, and he criticized the Republican Medicare drug bill.
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Van Hollen opposed the Medicare conference report, saying Democrats had been calling for a meaningful Medicare prescription drug benefit for years and that the bill failed to give seniors the comprehensive, affordable benefit they deserved.
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The record describes Roll Call 330 as the Democratic substitute to H.R. 1 that would provide prescription drug coverage through Medicare rather than private insurers, with no coverage gap; Van Hollen's position is listed as Y, and the substitute lost 175-255.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
The Clerk records Roll Call 331 on H.R. 1 as a motion to recommit with instructions, failed 208-223; Democrats voted 204-0 in favor, and Van Hollen, Democratic member from Maryland, is recorded as Aye.
Assessments
Van Hollen's promise was framed as a support commitment, not as a solo pledge to enact the Medicare drug benefit. During his first House term after the 2002 campaign, he voted for the Democratic Medicare prescription-drug substitute and supported related Democratic efforts while opposing the Republican version. That directly satisfies the promised action in the relevant federal office context, even though the Democratic proposal itself did not pass.
As a House member in 2002-2003, Van Hollen publicly supported the Democratic Medicare prescription-drug proposal and opposed the Republican alternative. The promise was to support that policy direction, not necessarily enact the final benefit, and the record shows he did so during the same term.
The promise was to support the Democratic proposal for a Medicare prescription drug benefit, not necessarily to singlehandedly enact it. During his first House term after the 2002 campaign, Van Hollen publicly backed Medicare prescription-drug coverage legislation and criticized the Republican alternative as inferior, then voted against the Republican Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act. That record shows he took the promised Democratic-side position in the relevant federal office context. Although the enacted Part D benefit came through a Republican bill he opposed, the support commitment itself was fulfilled in the same term.