And yet nearly 15 million Medicare beneficiaries have no insurance coverage for prescription drugs whatsoever. This means that too many senior citizens most of whom are on modest, fixed incomes are spending a great deal of their monthly incomes on prescription drugs. The plan remains true to the hallmark of Medicare by providing a solid package of defined benefits that's easily understood yet takes a significant step into the future by introducing private-sector competition. The result will be a guaranteed drug benefit for beneficiaries and lower costs to the system. The benefit is generous, covering half of a beneficiary's drug costs with no deductibles and a modest premium.
Prescription drugs are often the preferred and sometimes only method of treatment for many diseases.
Modernization of Medicare must ensure seniors have access to the best that medicine has to offer.