We Need Short-Term and Long-Term Solutions to Repair Federal Prescription Drug Plan

We Need Short-Term and Long-Term Solutions to Repair Federal Prescription Drug Plan
1/5/2006

Washington D.C.--Congressman Bernie Sanders today voiced his support for state officials' decision to implement an emergency plan to deal with major problems caused by the Bush Administration's new prescription drug plan, and added that Congress must provide short-term and long-term solutions for the problem. Sanders, who voted against the Administration's Medicare Prescription Drug Program, is working on the federal level to enact legislation that would address critical flaws in the program and offer solutions for seniors struggling to use it. Sanders' short-term proposal would extend the open enrollment period and give Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to make one change in their plan choice at any point in 2006. In the long-term, Sanders believes the prescription drug program should be greatly simplified to provide far better benefits to Medicare beneficiaries at a lower cost to taxpayers.

Sanders said, "My office has been flooded with calls from seniors who do not understand this absurdly complicated plan or, even worse, have suddenly found themselves without prescription drug coverage. I am extremely pleased that the state has implemented an emergency plan to cover low-income seniors who have been shifted from state programs onto this disastrous federal plan. But clearly Congress must reform this program on the federal level so seniors are able to meet their prescription drug needs in the future."

"Given the widespread confusion regarding the Administration's prescription drug plan, it is clear that we need to implement a short term solution that will give seniors more time to enroll and the ability to change plans after they initially enroll. That is why I am working to enact HR 3861, which would (1) extend the open enrollment period through all of 2006 without a late enrollment penalty (the deadline before late enrollment penalties kick in is now May 15 of this year); and (2) give Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to make a one-time change in prescription drug plan choice at any point in 2006 (right now a change in plans is not allowed until 2007).

"In addition to this critical short-term solution, we also need to make real reforms to the overall prescription drug plan. At a time when Americans are paying the highest prices in the world, by far, for prescription drugs, the current program offers a boon to pharmaceutical and insurance companies while doing nothing to curtail rising drug costs for consumers and taxpayers. This is a program that was written by and for the pharmaceutical lobby in order to pad the industry's already sky-high profits. The result is a baffling program that is great for the industry but bad for beneficiaries. It's time for this Administration to stop lining the pockets of Big Pharma and start looking out for the needs of our seniors. We can begin by giving the government authority to negotiate lower prices with drug companies and allowing the import of safe and affordable Canadian and European medicines-dramatically lowering costs for seniors and enabling Medicare to afford a much better benefit."

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=4729