Date: 1999-02-11
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank my good friend. the gentleman from Arkansas . for his leadership on this issue. and as well. my colleagues. the gentleman from Maine . the gentleman from Texas . and the gentleman from California for their leadership on a crucial and devastating fact of life for our seniors in America. It is important to note that those of us who have worked on this issue believe that this is the Congress to get it through. I am delighted that as an original cosponsor of this legislation for this Congress. I again stand up to be counted. as I did in the 105th Congress. I do that for the many constituents that I represent. In fact. Mr. Speaker. allow me to share the story of a husband and wife from my district in Houston written to me just a few days ago in January. These individuals retired. having worked in our school system educating our young people. and now in their retirement they are pleading for relief because presently they are spending an average of $4.792 annually on drugs. paid by a Texas teachers retirement income and social security. Onefifth of their income is used to pay for prescription drugs. I would simply say. Mr. Speaker. this has got to stop. That means that these senior citizens who have worked all of their life. who. in fact. have a commitment to being part of the engine of this economy for many. many years. are now having to sacrifice the meager income that they have and to make choices. as my good colleague indicated. between room and board. and health. The Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act is not a giveaway. It does not interfere with competitiveness. as my pharmaceutical friends have said. It does not do damage to the marketplace. as they have attacked us so readily. What it does is it simply tries to emphasize fairness. Pharmacies will now be able to purchase prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries at the same low prices available to the Federal Government such as the Federal supply schedule price or the medicaid price. Since drug prices presently paid by the Federal Government are approximately half the retail prices paid by senior citizens. participating pharmacies will be able to pass on large cost savings to senior citizens. I know that my good friend. the gentleman from Arkansas has been in his district and has seen the sincerity expressed by seniors who have said they do not want a handout. but after we have given them the option of Medicare why shouldnt Medicare have the same ability to be able to purchase low priced pharmaceuticals. competitively priced equal to that of the HMOs? Has anyone ever been in the midst of seniors. maybe those who are a little older. in their seventies and eighties. and heard them plead to us for clarity about these HMOs? Who am I to pick? What are they giving me? The confusion abounds and yet now we have promoted these HMOs over Medicare that has been so helpful in providing good health care for our seniors. and we have given HMOs the upper edge by providing these incentives. and yet sometimes seniors are moved from one HMO to the next. It shuts down and they get letters. and it is confusing. Oh. yes. I believe that HMOs provide a viable service. but those who are on Medicare should not be deprived the ability to get lowpriced prescription drugs and to have a fairness process in place. So I believe that we are. in fact. providing what the Constitution says we should have. and that is equality. And we are doing it for a population that is now suffering. They suffer because of the way pharmacies are doing business. and many Americans whose retirement plans rely in part on private pension plans are also struggling. This is because many of those plans which were designed decades ago do not contain comprehensive medical plans. and even the ones that do include medical insurance typically do not pay for medication. In fact. I have talked to senior citizens who have said I am going to get that mail order program because I have heard that if you do mail order. that you can get cheap prescription drugs. So I think it is important. Mr. Speaker. that this legislation not have one moment of a slow process. It should be expedited. It should go through the committees of jurisdiction with flying colors. We should respond to the tragedy of senior citizens having to make choices between what they will buy. whether they will pay for food for the evening meal or which meal they will escape or not be able to have so that they can get the necessary prescriptions. I will just simply say. as we work together on this legislation. tears have come to my eyes when I have met with senior citizens who. first of all. are grateful for life. gratified for the medical care that many of them have been able to access. but when they give me the list of prescriptions that they have to take every single day. they do not do it in anger. they just simply say we have got to take it but give us a reprieve. help us not to be have to choose one over the other. So I want to thank the gentleman. As I close. I want to just make a personal note that from my home district. in addition to these prescription drugs. I am gratified for the medical health system. of which we also need to look at with the Patients Bill of Rights. access to medical care. I am grateful for the system that is in my community. the public hospital system. now under attack by county government. My commitment to the senior citizens of that community. the children of that community. is to say that I am going to fight for this legislation. the Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act. as well as a patients bill of rights. as well as fighting for Lois Morris. our health care director in Harris County. and fight against anybody who would move to shut it down or to deprive our citizens of good health care by cutting the budget. I want to thank my friend. the gentleman from Arkansas . I want to thank my good friends. the gentleman from Maine . the gentleman from Texas and the gentleman from California