[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 435 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 435

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Medicare 
   beneficiaries should have access to outpatient prescription drug 
                               coverage.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 8, 2000

Mr. Sessions (for himself and Mr. Peterson of Minnesota) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Medicare 
   beneficiaries should have access to outpatient prescription drug 
                               coverage.

Whereas prescription medicines save lives, cure and prevent disease, relieve 
        pain, improve the quality of life for patients, help people avoid 
        disability, surgery, hospitalization, and nursing home care, and often 
        decrease the total cost of treating an illness;
Whereas two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries have access to prescription drug 
        coverage through employer-based insurance plans, Medicare+Choice plans, 
        medicare supplemental (Medigap) policies, Medicaid and state drug 
        assistance programs, and other private insurance or managed care plans 
        that include a drug benefit;
Whereas United States companies led the world in drug research and development, 
        spending $24 billion on research and development in 1999;
Whereas United States companies have over 1,000 life-saving medicines in 
        development for cancer, heart disease and stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, 
        multiple sclerosis, diabetes, depression, and numerous other diseases 
        that affect the elderly;
Whereas privately funded research and development is extremely costly, time-
        consuming, and high risk--on average it takes 12 to 15 years to bring 
        one medication to market and each costs an average of $500 million and 
        only 3 of every 10 drugs that reach the market are profitable;
Whereas almost half of all major new medicines in the world are discovered by 
        United States companies primarily because the United States market-based 
        health care system rewards and encourages biomedical research and 
        development;
Whereas far fewer drugs are developed by companies in foreign countries because 
        many foreign governments control the prices of prescription medicines 
        thereby discouraging research and development; and
Whereas the number of persons qualifying for Medicare benefits will increase 
        dramatically over the next 25 years placing additional strains on the 
        financial solvency of the program: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
Congress should enact legislation that--
            (1) ensures that prescription drug coverage replaces the 
        need for seniors to rely exclusively on out-of-pocket 
        expenditures for their medicines;
            (2) ensures that the Medicare program is not further 
        fiscally compromised and its financial solvency is preserved 
        and protected;
            (3) ensures that existing sources of drug coverage for 
        Medicare beneficiaries, such as employer-sponsored retiree 
        prescription drug benefits, are not displaced into a 
        government-run program;
            (4) provides a mechanism to assist low income Medicare 
        beneficiaries to afford coverage;
            (5) avoids any form of extensive government regulation, 
        including government rationing of life-saving medicines and 
        direct or indirect price controls; and
            (6) encourages the continued high rate of research and 
        development by the private sector in the United States and does 
        nothing that creates disincentives for the discovery of new 
        drugs.
    Sec. 2. The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit a 
copy of this resolution to the President.
                                 <all>