Dodd Joins Obama for Announcement of Deal to Reduce the Gap in the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Chairman Kennedy's chief deputy for Health Care Reform, released the following statement today after joining President Obama, Senator Max Baucus, and AARP CEO A. Barry Rand to announce that the Administration has a reached a deal with the Pharmaceutical industry to reduce the gap in coverage in the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program. The agreement is expected to save an estimated $80 billion.
"This agreement will help the millions of seniors across country who benefit from the prescription drug benefit under Medicare, but are hurt by this gap in coverage," said Dodd. "However, this is just one step towards reforming our nation's health care system. There is still a lot of work to do, but I am committed to acting now. Working with President Obama, we will reduce costs for working families, protect people's choice of doctors, hospitals, and insurance, and expand coverage so all Americans can enjoy quality, affordable health care insurance."
In his remarks at the event, President Obama praised Senator Dodd's leadership on health care, "Chris Dodd, who has been an outstanding leader on a whole host of health care issues throughout his career and who is helping to lead the HELP Committee while Senator Kennedy is undergoing his treatment for his illness -- Chris, I think, will tell you that as we travel around the country, seniors would constantly be coming up to us and saying, how do we deal with this extraordinary burden? And as a consequence, you'd have seniors who would be taking half their medication, even though the doctor said that is not going to be as effective; you are putting your life at risk. They had no other choice."
President Obama added that he will continue to work with Senator Dodd and others on health care reform, "I will continue to work closely with the relevant chairs in the House and the Senate, and leaders like Senator Dodd and Senator Baucus, and with members of both parties who are willing to commit themselves to this critical task."