Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007

MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICE NEGOTIATION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - January 12, 2007)

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Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, because this is such an important debate for us and for our constituents.

I have about 70,000 Medicare part D beneficiaries in my district, the Seventh District of Tennessee, and they do deserve low-cost prescription drugs, and they deserve the option to choose their plans. The way Medicare part D is constructed, that is what we have, the opportunity to make those choices, to have that control, to actually have a private insurance.

Mr. Speaker, we have had a lot of conversation about the VA and veterans. I would like to point out that comparing Medicare part D and the VA drug program is like comparing apples to oranges, because the VA program is a direct provider of those medical services and part D is an insurance program that is run through private plans, so that our seniors have the options and the ability to choose, to have control over their health care.

About 40 percent of Medicare-eligible veterans enrolled in the VA health care are choosing to benefit from the Medicare drug benefit.

.It's critical that we protect what seniors value most--access to quality care in their own community; affordability; and choice of their prescription drug plan and pharmacy.

.I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 4.

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