OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Durbin Reintroduces Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act with Schakowsky and Berry

Date: Feb. 10, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Drugs


DURBIN REINTRODUCES MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG SAVINGS AND CHOICE ACT WITH SCHAKOWSKY AND BERRY

Thursday, February 10, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, with Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Marion Berry (D-AR), reintroduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings Act which will offer seniors a nationwide Medicare-delivered prescription drug benefit, set a uniform national premium of $35 for the first year and allow Medicare to negotiate on behalf of its beneficiaries for lower drug prices.

"I am deeply concerned by Republican plans to cut drug benefits for seniors instead of negotiating to curb the profits of drug companies. First, this Administration forbids Medicare from negotiating lower prices from pharmaceutical companies, then they forbid Medicare employees from telling the truth about how much the law will cost until after it's passed, now some are trying to dump the whole rotten mess at the feet of our seniors," said Durbin. "This legislation will provide a prescription drug benefit within the traditional Medicare program and require the Administration to negotiate on behalf of seniors to bring down the exorbitant costs of those needed medications."

The bill introduction comes on the heels of new estimates from the Bush Administration indicating that the current program will cost of over $700 billion in its first ten years. The estimate is $300 billion higher than original Republican estimates when the legislation was passed.

Groups that have endorsed this legislation include: AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of Teachers, American Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, , Campaign for America's Future, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Consumers Union, Families USA, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, NETWORK, A National Social Justice Catholic Lobby, SEIU, US PIRG and USAction

Legislation fact sheet attached.

http://durbin.senate.gov/releases.cfm

arrow_upward