[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 34 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1659-S1660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE

  Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, prescription drugs currently constitute 
the largest out-of-pocket health care cost for seniors. Over 85 percent 
of Medicare beneficiaries take at least one prescription medicine, and 
the average senior fills eighteen prescriptions per year.
  Because prescription drug coverage was not a standard part of health 
insurance when Medicare was enacted 35 years ago, many seniors must pay 
for the high cost of prescription drugs out of their own pockets. We 
are now facing a crisis of monumental proportion for many older 
Americans.
  The simple fact is, the high cost of today's modern medicines and the 
absence of Medicare coverage have placed needed medications out of 
reach for too many seniors. Most older Americans must juggle daily 
costs like groceries and utilities with paying for medicine. They are 
being forced to compromise by buying only a portion of the needed 
medications, too often making their treatment regimens incorrect and 
ineffective. Without the proper medication and dosage for conditions 
such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart problems, seniors may 
find themselves faced with even more costly hospitalizations and 
compromised health.
  Recently, I received a letter from Reverend Lois Congdon of Decatur 
Georgia. Reverend Congdon wrote to me about her impending retirement. 
She told of her expensive drug treatment costs and the coverage she was 
currently receiving under her employer-based insurance plan. Without 
her current salary, and once she is placed on Medicare, Reverend 
Congdon will no longer be able to afford her expensive prescription 
drugs. Even supplemental prescription coverage such as medigap offers 
only limited benefits and is too expensive for most seniors. Currently 
only one-fourth of Medicare enrollees have supplemental drug insurance 
and the number of firms offering such coverage has declined by 25 
percent in the last four years alone.
  Last month, I cosponsored legislation to provide similar prescription 
drug coverage for military retirees. The bill would enable military 
retirees over age 65 to use the National mail order pharmacy program 
for drug coverage. However, affordable prescription drug coverage is a 
benefit that all seniors should be able to obtain, not just armed 
service men and women. Seniors make up 12 percent of our nation's 
population and they purchase over one-third of all prescription drugs 
in America. Most older Americans live on fixed incomes of $15,000 a 
year which is adjusted slightly for inflation each year. However, for 
far too long, the rate of increase in prescription drug costs has 
exceeded the rate of inflation. This situation has created a need more 
urgent than ever to strengthen the Medicare Program with a prescription 
drug plan, and thereby protect millions of American seniors from more 
costly hospitalizations and treatments.
  Expanding Medicare by adding a prescription drug benefit will bring 
the program in line with the realities of modern medicine. Prescription 
drug coverage is essential to the delivery of 21st century medicine. 
These medicines keep people healthy, independent, and out of the 
hospital. To not include prescription benefits in Medicare today is

[[Page S1660]]

akin to not including a major form of treatment such as a surgical 
procedure when Medicare was established in 1965. It is absolutely 
unthinkable. Too many seniors lack dependable drug coverage and their 
health is being compromised. I am committed to providing Medicare 
coverage for prescription drugs, and promise to continue fighting for 
America's seniors. The Congress must move forward expeditiously to 
adopt legislation to accomplish this important objective.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Fitzgerald). The Senator from Delaware.
  Mr. ROTH. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Roth and Mr. Moynihan pertaining to the 
introduction of S. 2277 are located in today's Record under 
``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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