Durbin Calls for Quick Approval of Repair Act
DURBIN CALLS FOR QUICK APPROVAL OF REPAIR ACT
Congress needs to take immediate action to ensure low-income seniors and disabled individuals have access to the prescription drugs they need despite recent hurdles they have encountered in the flawed Medicare prescription drug program, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. Durbin called for quick action on a bill being introduced in the U.S. Senate today which would immediately eliminate gaps in prescription drug coverage that low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities are experiencing, fixing the underlying problems with implementation while also reimbursing states, pharmacies, and individual beneficiaries for costs they have unexpectedly incurred.
Durbin said it has been estimated that as many as 20,000 of Illinois' most vulnerable seniors are having problems getting access to their medicines because of the bureaucratic confusion caused by the new Medicare drug benefit. Approximately 217,000 seniors in Illinois who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid were supposed to be automatically enrolled in a plan through the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and required to pay only $1 for generic drugs and $3 for brand name drugs.
"Thousands of low-income and disabled seniors have been told by pharmacies across Illinois that they are not eligible for the low-income program, or that the drugs they need are not available on their formulary. These are our most vulnerable seniors, yet many have walked away without their medication."
Durbin is an original co-sponsor of the Requiring Emergency Pharmaceutical Access for Individual Relief (REPAIR) Act, which was authored by Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) and would:
# Require all prescription drug plans to provide new enrollees with at least 30 days of prescription drugs during their transition to Medicare.
# Provide federal reimbursement for states, pharmacies, and beneficiaries for out-of-pocket costs because the Medicare prescription drug benefit has failed to cover their costs.
# Require CMS to have one dedicated employee stationed at every Senior Health Insurance Plan site to assist beneficiaries and counselors -- and to act as a liaison for oversight and enforcement of the prescription drug benefit.
# Require the spending of necessary resources to reduce the wait times on calls to 1-800-Medicare.
Durbin promised to continue working in Washington to improve the Medicare drug benefit in other ways as well. He has advocated a series of improvements:
Last November, Durbin asked Secretary Leavitt to change the Medicare Web site so seniors know they should check the prices more than one time. "I'm troubled by the fluctuation of drug prices. Seniors are locked into a plan for one year, but they are making decisions based on a momentary snapshot of drug prices. Plans are allowed to change prices and seniors are stuck paying them."
Last year, Durbin introduced legislation to give beneficiaries until December 31, 2006 to make a decision about a plan - with no financial penalties. Currently, financial penalties start to incur in May 2006. The bill would also give seniors a one-time chance to change plans or drop coverage in the first year in case they make a mistake and buy a plan that turns out to be wrong for them. Finally, it would prevent employers from dropping retiree coverage for anyone who enrolls in a Part D drug plan without knowing it could cause them to lose their existing benefits.
Durbin has also introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act, which creates a drug benefit in Medicare so seniors have the added choice of receiving their drugs through Medicare. The bill also requires that Medicare use its purchasing power to negotiate discounts with the pharmaceutical companies.
Both bills have been endorsed by senior citizen and consumer groups like the Alliance for Retired Americans, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and Consumers Union.
Durbin said he would like to introduce legislation that would require plans to stick by their original quotes unless the price decreases, so seniors, many of whom are on a fixed income, will not be hit with unexpected additional charges that may wreak havoc on their budgets.
"Even as we work to improve the Medicare drug benefit, I want to help Illinois' seniors deal with the existing program," Durbin said. "We need simplicity, efficiency, convenience and access. The private market has not provided that, it is time to let Medicare try."
Extensive information about the Medicare drug benefit is posted on Durbin's Web site: www.durbin.senate.gov.
http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=250573&&