[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 5, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H2776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PRESCRIPTION DRUG FAIRNESS ACT FOR SENIORS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BERRY. Madam Speaker, I would like to speak this evening about 
the Prescription Drug Fairness Act for Seniors. This legislation will 
help the problem that our Nation's seniors have had to deal with for 
years, and that is the outrageous prices of prescription drugs in this 
country.
  The district that I represent has the highest number of senior 
citizens that live only on Social Security of any district in the 
country. When I hold meetings in the First Congressional District of 
Arkansas, I hear about two issues, and that is the agriculture crisis 
and the high cost of prescription drugs, especially for seniors.
  I also get letters from Arkansas seniors who tell me every day that 
they cannot afford to pay for all their needs; specifically, all their 
medicine and all their food.
  I also get letters from Arkansas seniors who tell me that their drug 
bills are massive. Seniors are not following their doctors' orders. 
Some of them have been given prescriptions which they cannot afford to 
fill. Others have filled prescriptions which they cannot afford to take 
as directed.
  Because they cannot pay the rent, pay the electrical bills, buy food 
and take very expensive prescription drugs, they either stop taking 
them or they take less than is prescribed by their doctor. They are 
doing things that in the long run are harmful to their health. I find 
it amazing that we tell our seniors that they can live longer if they 
take this pill or that pill but then if they cannot afford the 
medication that keeps them alive we do not do anything about it.
  The Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 1999 is a chance 
for us to do something about it. It is a chance to step forward and 
show our seniors that we care about their well-being.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation allows seniors, Medicare 
beneficiaries, to purchase prescription drugs at reduced prices. It 
allows pharmacies to purchase prescription drugs at the best price 
available to the Federal Government. It is estimated to reduce 
prescription drug prices for seniors by over 40 percent.
  The average American under 65 takes only four prescriptions a year. 
The average senior citizen over 65 takes an average of 14 prescriptions 
a year. Our seniors suffer from more than one chronic condition: 
hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, glaucoma, circulatory problems, and 
many others. Medicare beneficiaries spend over $700 per year on average 
for prescription drugs and many seniors spend much more than that, some 
as much as $700 a month.
  Are the pharmaceutical companies hurting for profits? Certainly not. 
They are the most profitable businesses in existence. Last year they 
had a net profit of $24.5 billion, or 17 percent of their revenues.

                              {time}  1930

  Certainly we have no objection to the drug companies being 
profitable, and hope they continue doing so. Here is a letter that a 
senior in my district sent to me about this very problem.
  She said, ``I want to thank you for introducing a bill to investigate 
the extreme cost of prescription drugs. As I attempt to control blood 
pressure, cholesterol, treat a thyroid deficiency, and restless leg 
syndrome, it costs me over $100 a month. I have had to cut out my 
arthritis medicine that costs $125 a month that the doctor prescribed, 
and I have had to return to aspirin, which my doctor insists I should 
not take with these other medications.
  ``Please do what you can to get the cost of prescriptions back down 
to a reasonable level. I have had numerous people tell me that they 
cannot afford the medicines that are prescribed for them.''
  Madam Speaker, sadly enough, this letter is not something that should 
surprise anyone here, because I am sure that if we talk to most of the 
constituents in Members' districts, they will tell us they have 
received similar letters and they have talked to many seniors that have 
the same problem.
  What do we do? Do we continue to stand by and allow our seniors to be 
taken advantage of, robbed, by the pharmaceutical manufacturing 
companies? Fortunately, we have a bill that has 108 cosponsors that 
will help those seniors who find themselves choosing between food and 
medicine.
  I call on all my colleagues to stand up for our seniors and sign on 
to this bill. It is a good bill. It is a step in the right direction. 
It does the right thing as it concerns the senior citizens of this 
country.

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