[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 14, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 14, 1999

  Ms. Lee. Mr. Speaker, I rise to today in strong support of the 
President's plan to modernize and strengthen Medicare for the 21st 
century. This proposal will create an affordable prescription drug 
benefit program that will expand the accessibility and autonomy of all 
Medicare patients.
  Currently, Medicare offers a very limited prescription drug benefit 
plan for the 39 million aged and disabled persons obtaining its 
services. Many of these beneficiaries have to supplement their Medicare 
health insurance program with a private or public health insurance in 
order to cover the astronomical costs not met by Medicare. 
Unfortunately, most of these plans offer very little drug coverage if 
any at all. Therefore, Medicare patients across the U.S. are forced to 
pay over half of their total drug expenses out-of-pocket. Due to these 
circumstances, patients do not get the adequate medication needed to 
successfully treat their conditions.
  In 1995, we find that persons with supplementary prescription drug 
coverage used 20.3 prescriptions per year compared to 15.3 for those 
individuals lacking supplementary coverage. The patients without 
supplementary coverage are forced to compromise their health because 
they cannot afford to pay for the additional drugs they need. The 
quality and life of these individuals continues to deteriorate while we 
continue to limit their access to basic health necessities. The 
President's measure will tackle this problem by allowing our patients 
to purchase prescription drugs at a lower price.
  Why should our patients have to continually compromise their health 
by being forced to decide which prescription drugs to buy and which 
drugs not to take, simply because of budgetary caps that limit their 
access to treat the health problems they struggle with? These patients 
cannot afford to pay these burdensome costs. We must work together to 
expand Medicare by making it more competitive, efficient, and 
accessible to the demanding needs of our patients. The federal 
government is expecting a surplus of $2.9 trillion over the next 10 
years. By investing directly in Medicare, we choose to invest in the 
lives, health, and future of our patients.
  The House Committee on Government Reform conducted several studies 
identifying the price differential for commonly used drugs by senior 
citizens on Medicare and those with insurance plans. These surveys 
found that drug manufacturers engage in widespread price 
discrimination, forcing senior citizens and other individual purchasers 
to pay substantially more for prescription drugs than favored 
customers, such as large HMOs, insurance companies, and the federal 
government.

  According to these reports, older Americans pay exorbitant prices for 
commonly used drugs for high blood pressure, ulcers, heart problems, 
and other serious conditions. The report reveals that the price 
differential between favored customers and senior citizens for the 
cholesterol drug Zocor is 213%; while favored customers--corporate, 
governmental, and institutional customers--pay $34.80 for the drug, 
senior citizens in the 9th Congressional District may pay an average of 
$109.00 for the same medication. The study reports similar findings for 
four other drugs investigated in the study: Norvase (high blood 
pressure): $59.71 for favored customers and $129.19 for seniors; 
Prilosec (ulcers): $59.10 for favored customers and $127.30 for 
seniors; Procardia XL (heart problems): $68.35 for favored customers 
and $142.21 for seniors; and Zoloft (depression); $115.70 for favored 
customers and $235.09 for seniors. If Medicare is not paying for these 
drugs, then the patient is left to pay out-of-pocket. Numerous patients 
are forced to gamble with their health when they cannot afford to pay 
for the drugs needed to treat their conditions. Every day, these 
patients have to live with the fear of having to encounter major 
medical problems because they were denied access to prescription drugs 
they could not afford to pay out of their pocket. Often times, senior 
citizens must choose between buying food or medicine. This is wrong.
  Many Medicare patients have significant health care needs. They are 
forced to survive on very limited resources. They are entitled to 
medical treatments at affordable prices. The President's plan will 
benefit 31 million patients each year. This plan will address many of 
the problems relating to prescription drugs and work to ensure that 
patients have adequate access to their basic health needs. Let's stop 
gambling with the lives of Medicare patients and support this plan to 
strengthen and modernize Medicare for the 21st century.

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