Florida Democrats Urge Governor Bush to Provide Drug Coverage for Thousands of At-Risk Floridians

Florida Democrats Urge Governor Bush to Provide Drug Coverage for Thousands of At-Risk Floridians
Send Letter Calling on Bush to Expand January 26th Executive Order to Include 'Medically Needy' Individuals

(Washington, D.C.) Representatives Robert Wexler (D-FL), Allen Boyd (D-FL), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Jim Davis (D-FL), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) sent the following letter to Governor Jeb Bush requesting that he take immediate action to expand the scope of his January 26 Executive Order to include the over 70,000 low-income Floridians deemed 'medically needy' who have been unable to obtain access to medical services critical to their survival. Governor Bush's Executive Order was limited in scope, only covering the cost of medications for dual-eligibles (covered by both Medicaid/Medicare) who were switched from Medicaid to the new Medicare Part D program, which went into effect on January 1, 2006. Unfortunately, the narrowly tailored Executive Order only reimburses pharmacies, not Floridians who already paid more than they should have for their medications following the Bush Administration's failure to properly implement the new Medicare Part D program.
Wexler and his democratic colleagues point out in their letter to Governor Bush that these "medically needy" individuals were previously covered by Medicaid, but due to the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program, have been forced to pay a significant and unaffordable share of the costs for medical services before the state will assist them financially. Most of the individuals facing unaffordable healthcare costs under the new prescription drug plan suffer from a life-threatening illness or disease including cancer, AIDS, renal failure or are organ transplant recipients - requiring constant care and very expensive medications like immunosuppressant drugs.

http://wexler.house.gov/news.php?ID=194