Congressman Sanders Joins House and Senate Leadership to Call For Medicare Prescription Drug Program Extension

Congressman Sanders Joins House and Senate Leadership to Call for Medicare Prescription Drug Program Extension

Washington D.C.--Congressman Bernie Sanders joined Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi today to call for an extension of the May 15 enrollment deadline for the Administration's Medicare prescription drug plan. The Capitol Hill press conference brought together members of the House and Senate as well as hundreds of seniors. Under the Republican leadership's current plan, seniors and persons with disabilities who miss the May 15 deadline will be penalized with a 1% increase per month on their premium and their coverage won't be effective until January 2007. This means that Medicare enrollees who miss the May 15 deadline will automatically be subject to a minimum 7% penalty for the rest of their lives.

Sanders said, "Given the widespread confusion regarding the Administration's prescription drug plan, it is clear that we need to give seniors and persons with disabilities more time to enroll. Vermonters should not be forced to pay huge penalties for the rest of their lives just because the Administration designed an overly complex plan that beneficiaries are having serious difficulty figuring out."

The Republican leadership's plan was plagued with problems as it rolled out at the beginning of 2006 with both seniors and pharmacists facing enormous challenges in dealing with this complex and confusing plan. Beneficiaries must choose between dozens of drug plans that vary widely with regard to coverage, premiums, deductibles, co-payments, and covered drugs, leaving consumers struggling to determine the right plan for their needs. According to a report by USA Today, there are still more than seven million beneficiaries without current prescription drug coverage who have not yet signed up for the plan.

Sanders said, "Seniors and persons with disabilities should be given the time they need to sort out this confusing plan without having the Administration raise the price tag on them. The Republican leadership should do what is right and extend this deadline until the end of the year."

In addition to calling for an extension of the May 15 deadline, Sanders is advocating for a plan that would allow seniors and persons with disabilities to make a one-time change in prescription drug plan choice at any point in 2006. Sanders has also introduced a Medicare prescription drug program bill that would replace the Administration's plan with a clear, comprehensive program that would provide seniors and people with disabilities a 20% co-pay on all prescription drugs for a small $25 monthly premium with no deductible. Sanders' plan has significant cost-saving components, including language that would give Medicare the right to negotiate lower prices with drug companies and allow the reimportation of FDA-approved prescription drugs—saving all Americans 30%-70% on their prescription drug bills.

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=4888