Duckworth Criticizes Bush, Congress for Blocking Medicare Sign-up Extension

DUCKWORTH CRITICIZES BUSH, CONGRESS FOR BLOCKING MEDICARE SIGN-UP EXTENSION

Seniors should not have to pay the price for flawed Rx drug plan, she says

Congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth, who has been an outspoken critic of the highly-flawed new Medicare Part D program, today criticized President Bush's staunch opposition to extending the deadline for seniors to select a new prescription drug plan.

She also criticized lawmakers who voted this week against mandating such a change, and Republican congressional candidate Peter Roskam for ducking any public discussion of the Part D program.

Duckworth has repeatedly called for an extension beyond the current May 15th deadline for seniors to select among the more than 40 competing plans. Based on sessions that she has held in the district with seniors and their family members, Duckworth said that it was clear to her that the Part D plan "has caused nothing but confusion and frustration for seniors in the 6th Congressional district."

Under current law, seniors who do not select a new plan by May 15th will suffer a financial penalty equal to 1 percent of the premium for each month of the delay.

"Seniors on fixed incomes are being forced to pay the price for the failure of this administration and its allies in Congress to come up with a plan that puts the interests of people ahead of the profits for the drug companies and HMOs," she said.

Earlier this week, President Bush told people attending a session at the White House that he was opposed to extending the deadline for Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for the new prescription drug program. According to media reports, in response to a woman who had told Bush that her mother had experienced problems choosing a program, the President said: "rolling back deadlines is not going to help your mom make a good decision."

Also this week, the Senate rejected-- by a 49-49 tie vote-- an extension of the sign-up deadline to December 31st that would have allowed seniors to switch plans at least once if they wish. Duckworth cited the inconsistency of blocking seniors' options while participating drug companies can opt out of the program in 2007, if they choose.

"Apparently, the ‘D' in Part D stands for double-standard," she said.

Duckworth has made health care one of her top issues since announcing her campaign, and has met repeatedly with seniors in the 6th Congressional District who have reported facing challenges accessing the new Medicare prescription drug program created by Congress.

In addition to calling for seniors to have more time to sign-up for the plan of their choice, Duckworth has said that she would fight for several changes to the new rules, including:

* giving the federal government the ability to negotiate for lower discounts

* fixing the so-called "doughnut hole" which denies coverage to seniors whose prescription drug costs fall between $2,250 and $5,100

* calling on the federal government to reimburse states that have stepped in to cover gaps

* requiring all prescription drug plans to provide new enrollees with at least 30 days of prescription drugs during their transition to Medicare.

Duckworth's ideas on health care have been among the reasons she has picked up support from major statewide organizations, including the state AFL-CIO, which represents more than 36,000 workers in the 6th District. Other groups endorsing her campaign include Illinois Citizen Action, Emily's List and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT). She is also supported by U.S. Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin.

Duckworth's commitment to addressing health care, and her knowledge of the issues, has also been cited in the endorsements she has received from the area's major newspapers. Duckworth has won the endorsements of the Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, Pioneer Press and the Chicago Sun-Times.

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