Issue Position: Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit- Part D

Issue Position

Issue Position: Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit- Part D

I believe the federal government has an obligation to Medicare recipients. Medicare comprises the lifeblood of many older Americans' existence by helping to subsidize the rising cost of health care in our country. The addition of an effective prescription drug benefit has further added to this protection, but I believe we can do more to make prescription drugs more affordable. Medicare recipients should never be forced to choose between drugs and other necessities. To that end, I support initiatives that would lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

S. 3, the "Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007," was introduced on January 4, 2007. This legislation seeks to amend part D of Medicare to allow the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. A vote for cloture failed in the Senate on April 18, 2007. Although I support initiatives that would lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, I do not support this bill. Like many pieces of legislation that come to the Senate floor, this bill sounds great on the surface. Few can argue with the idea behind allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices for our seniors. However, upon further review, this bill would have added countless layers to our already bloated federal bureaucracy and may have denied access to critical prescription drugs our seniors depend upon. Further, there are conflicting reports whether this legislation would have any impact on actual prescription drug prices. In fact, many felt that it could actually end up limiting the choices available to seniors in the future. I believe that provisions within this particular legislation would create yet another large federal bureaucracy. This is not something that we need.

I believe the current system is working. Approximately 90% of Medicare beneficiaries had drug coverage and in 2006, the average premium paid fell from the original CBO estimate of $37 to $23 per month. The result is an over 80% satisfaction rate on the part of Medicare participants who receive an average of $1,200 a year in savings on their prescription medications. I believe the federal government has an obligation to Medicare recipients and I will continue to work on behalf of our seniors to ensure they have affordable access to healthcare and a prescription drug benefit. To suggest otherwise is unfair and untrue.

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