Medicare Prescription Drug Plan

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.

When I first came to Congress, I made a promise to seniors in Alabama. I told them I would fight for their interests in Congress. I told them I would work to strengthen and secure Medicare for generations to come, and I told them I would fight for a new prescription drug benefit under Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, these days I return to my home State of Alabama having followed through on that promise. Thanks to the leadership of President Bush and a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, the seniors in my home State of Alabama will soon have a prescription drug relief benefit. It comes not a moment too soon.

Alabama seniors all across the Third Congressional District continue facing high drug costs. In fact, drug prices have risen in the few short months since President Bush signed this law. Fortunately for our seniors, relief is on the way. Beginning in May, Alabama seniors will see immediate relief through a voluntary prescription drug discount card. Seniors who choose to enroll in this benefit will see discounts of up to 25 percent with this drug card. This means that on a $100 monthly prescription, seniors will save $25. That is $300 a year. This is a voluntary program. No seniors will be forced into anything. Seniors happy with their current coverage under Medicare will have no changes to their plan. This is a 100 percent voluntary program. Nor will seniors with employer-paid drug plans need to worry about their coverage. The new Medicare law offers substantial incentives for employers to continue to provide prescription drug coverage to employees and retirees, but Congress did not forget about those most needy seniors, either.

Alabama seniors with low incomes will soon receive extra assistance under this law. In the Third Congressional District of Alabama, the area of the country I represent, approximately 21,400 seniors with low incomes will soon qualify for a new $600 annual subsidy. Coupled with the prescription drug card, this $600 annual subsidy will help Alabama seniors with lower incomes decrease their drug bills substantially.

Mr. Speaker, the promises do not end there. In rural areas across the country, like those in my district, seniors, families, and children are losing access to health care. In fact, the discrepancies between rural and urban health care have long been a concern of mine. That is why I am proud that President Bush and a bipartisan group of Members of Congress who supported this bill also included increased support for rural doctors and hospitals. Under the new Medicare law, rural hospitals, doctors, and clinics will receive an unprecedented $25 billion to improve the quality and availability of health care. Of this, nearly $934 million is dedicated to help improve health services all across Alabama. Of that amount, nearly $20 million is dedicated just for the Third Congressional District of Alabama. That is no small amount of money.

This new funding for rural hospitals will not only help improve the health of all our seniors, but it will also help improve the health of every single Alabamian young and old. Rural hospitals and clinics will be strengthened through significant increases in hospital reimbursement rates as well. Because of this law, emergency and primary care will be available to Alabama families in rural areas, just like people living in big cities like Atlanta.

Mr. Speaker, I said a moment ago that this new Medicare law is about promises. Last year President Bush and the Republican leadership promised new prescription drug coverage under Medicare. We kept our promise. We promised new benefits to seniors like preventive screening and diabetes testing. We kept that promise. We fought for rural hospitals, doctors and pharmacies in hopes of improving rural health care for all Alabamians. We kept that promise, too.

Mr. Speaker, the Medicare prescription drug law is about promises made and promises kept. I am proud that we worked so hard to improve seniors' lives. Our challenge now is to ensure that seniors know about the benefits to which they are entitled. We must ensure seniors are not confused by the dangerous political posturing and unnecessary, confusing double talk. Is this a perfect bill? No. But it is a great start, and certainly better than the little or no prescription drug coverage most seniors had before. To quote AARP President James Parker from a recent statement, "The bill represents an historic breakthrough and an important milestone in the Nation's commitment to strengthen and expand health security for current and future beneficiaries."

I agree, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of Alabama seniors, I thank President Bush and the gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert) for their leadership in passing this historic bill. I pledge to continue doing whatever I can to help strengthen Medicare and to work to improve the health of all our Nation's seniors.

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