Date: 2003-07-10
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to address the most important issue of prescription drug cost. As a former nurse. I am committed to making sure that seniors have the drugs they need to stay healthy without having to make painful choices between buying groceries or paying rent or getting prescriptions filled or even paying their utility bills. As the Medicare issue continues to be debated in Congress. I have always supported what is best that I felt for working people of America. I understand that Medicare provides for so many who have provided so much to our Nation and continue to do so. and I believe sincerely that Medicare should have a provision to work with the pharmaceutical companies. to get discounts just as the discounts are received prior to the senior citizens turning 65. In a study conducted nationwide. Advance PCS found that the average person over 65 fills about 20 prescriptions per year compared to about three per year for a person in their 20s. This study shows that average cost per prescription for a person in his or her late 60s is about 45 percent higher than the average co.t per prescription for a person in their 20s. Brandeis University reported that the percentage of elderly spending more than $3.000 annually on medication more than doubled from 1997 to 1999. from 3.7 percent to 8.6 percent. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the over65 population will increase by an average of 304.400 people each year between 2000 and 2005. According to Families USA. the average cost per prescription for seniors has already risen during that time in the past 8 years by 48 percent. It is for these reasons that we must address the high cost of prescription drugs for our seniors. Unfortunately. legislation recently passed in this House does not entitle seniors to any particular drug benefit plan. Instead. the Republicanbacked Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003 provides only a standard benefit and is merely a suggestion for what private plans might offer. This plan provides no assistance for prescription drug cost between $2.000 and $5.600 per year. and nearly half of all of our seniors have prescription drug expenses over $2.000 annually. Democrats know that the American seniors have waited long enough for relief from the Nations skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Unfortunately. we are not giving our seniors an affordable and dependable plan with no gaps in coverage. Instead. the Republican leadership has chosen to hijack the democratic process yet again by blocking our partys attempts to provide a commonsense prescription drug benefit through the Medicare program. By shutting down opposition. rather than allowing an open debate. the Republican leadership is making it clear that they are afraid to compare their sham prescription benefit plan to the Democratic substitute. When the plans are put side by side. the American public sees that the Republican plan fails to provide any substantive benefits. The public will see that their plans benefits are so insignificant that it would not be worthwhile for many middleclass seniors to enroll. The Republican plan does nothing to curtail the exploding drug prices because of their ties to the pharmaceutical industry. and that is a matter of record that can be checked. Providing affordable prescription drug coverage should be an issue that transcends partisanship. The American public should be outraged that the Republican leadership is playing politics with the health and wellbeing of millions of our seniors. and I hope the voters will remember their shameful abuse of power when they go to the polls next November.