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American Legion Magazine - A New Prescription

Date: May 9, 2006
Issues: Senior Citizens Entitlements and the Safety Net Health Insurance


A New Prescription

by Congressman Bernie Sanders
Since the implementation of the so-called "Medicare" prescription drug program, my office has been swamped with calls from seniors who are confused, disappointed, and angry about the program. Rather than offering low-cost, comprehensive coverage, the Republican leadership's plan leaves seniors with huge gaps in coverage and forces them to decipher a confusing web of private plans—all with different rules, premiums, and covered medications.

To make matters worse, many seniors across the country have gone to their pharmacy only to find their coverage was held up because pharmacists were themselves overwhelmed by the complex and bureaucratic program. In response, dozens of states were forced to institute emergency measures to ensure low-income beneficiaries could get their medicines.

Sadly, for those of us who voted against this complicated plan in 2003, this debacle came as little surprise. This program was created by and for the pharmaceutical and insurance lobbyists. As a result it provides inadequate benefits for seniors at an unnecessarily high cost to taxpayers. It also ensures costs stay high by forbidding Medicare from negotiating lower prices for seniors.

The truth is we can offer far better coverage for the same money if we put the needs of seniors--not drug companies--first. Legislation I introduced would replace the current program with comprehensive coverage within Medicare at the same or a lower cost. Seniors would pay a small monthly $25 premium and the program would pay 80% of their prescription costs. Period.

There is one catch. We can only afford a comprehensive benefit if we are serious about lowering the outrageously high price of medicines. That means using the bulk purchasing power of the federal government to negotiate lower costs (just like every big company does). And it means allowing FDA-safety approved medicines to be reimported from highly-regulated countries like Canada. But the will to stand up to the drug giants is sorely lacking in a Congress and a White House where wealthy special interests literally authored the horrendous program that seniors continue to struggle with. It's time for real solutions that put the needs of our seniors first.

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=4887

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