Help Health Ganske offers prescription plan The Republican's proposal would offer benefits to people with incomes up to 175 percent of the poverty level. Ganske, the leading Republican in the House pushing a patients' rights bill, has also gathered a bipartisan list of 12 co-sponsors for this legislation. They include liberals such as Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, conservatives such as Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, and the House's lone Socialist, Rep. Bernard Sanders of Vermont. Ganske conceded it will be tough to push his plan through the House but said he will promote it in Commerce Committee meetings, on a task force on Medicare and prescription drugs, and in speeches. A second section of Ganske's bill would seek to cut costs for consumers by allowing American retailers to import prescription drugs.
Some senior citizens travel to Canada and Mexico to save money on prescriptions.
Legislation intended to ease import rules was signed by President Clinton but never implemented because of questions over the details. Ganske's bill would also raise the floor for Medicare reimbursements for managed care in an attempt to increase Medicare managed care in rural states such as Iowa. Iowa has little in the way of Medicare managed care, which often provides additional benefits. Experts say the reason is low reimbursement rates tied to the state's health-care costs and other factors.