TATEMENT BY SENATOR KENNEDY ON PRESIDENT BUSH’S HEALTHCARE SPEECH

Today Senator Edward M. Kennedy responded to President Bush’s speech, which was delivered at Wendy’s fast food headquarters, with the following statement: “Sadly, the President’s healthcare plan will make a bad situation worse, and his budget cuts to Medicare and Medicaid only add insult to injury. We should be securing Medicare and Medicaid — the ‘value meal’ of healthcare -- and assuring quality, affordable healthcare to all Americans. But like the President’s misguided social security privatization proposal, his health care scheme just helps the healthy and wealthy, and leaves the rest of America behind.” ###