[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 30, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H5097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENIORS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN PAYING THEIR RENT AND BUYING 
                           THEIR MEDICATIONS

  (Mr. ROTHMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, recent advances in modern medicine, 
especially in the area of pharmaceutical innovation, have yielded 
extraordinary benefits for all Americans, but especially for our 
seniors. In fact, over one-third of all the medicines approved by the 
FDA in the last decade have targeted diseases that are common in the 
elderly; and while these medicines are good and beneficial for our 
seniors and all Americans as a whole, the fact is that some of these 
drugs are very expensive. Those seniors that depend on Medicare for 
their health coverage are especially affected by the high costs of 
medications because the Medicare program in most cases does not cover 
the cost of prescription drugs.
  This past week I sat in a living room in my district in South 
Hackensack, New Jersey, and heard from seniors about the financial 
hardships they must endure to pay for their medications. Mr. Speaker, 
America's seniors should not have to choose between paying their rent 
each month or buying the medications that will save or extend their 
lives. I commend President Clinton for raising the level of national 
debate on prescription drugs for America's seniors, and I urge all of 
my colleagues to rise to this challenge for the seniors of today and 
for the seniors of tomorrow.

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