[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H3753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stabenow) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. Speaker, I rise once again on the floor of the 
House of Representatives to call upon this House to pass prescription 
drug coverage for senior citizens and those who are disabled under 
Medicare and to work for other strategies to lower the cost of 
prescription drugs for all family members.
  Today in particular, I am rising to read a letter, as I am every week 
now rising to share a letter from one of my constituents in Michigan. 
This week I would like to read a letter from a 76-year-old woman who is 
a breast cancer survivor from Fenton, Michigan. She is the widow of a 
disabled veteran.
  I want to speak more about the fact that we need to be focused on our 
veterans who do not have prescription drug coverage and are struggling 
to pay the cost of their medications. Now, as we are approaching 
Memorial Day, we need to be honoring them by addressing this serious 
health care issue.
  But first let me read the letter.

       Dear Mrs. Stabenow, I am writing to you concerning the high 
     cost of prescription drugs, which, I believe, you are on a 
     campaign to cut the cost of for senior citizens who are on a 
     fixed income and need these drugs.
       I am the widow of a disabled veteran, who, at the age of 
     32, was on total disability. I went to work to help out, as 
     we needed the extra money. We had two children. My mother 
     lived with us and took care of the children.
       My mother became too ill to take care of them, so I had to 
     quit my job and stay home. It was hard financially, but we 
     managed to get by, living on a strict budget. My husband's 
     disability was a condition that he needed me around him all 
     the time. When the boys got older, I tried to work again, but 
     my husband begged me to stay home with him, which I did.
       My husband died when he was 50. I was able to save a little 
     money, which I intended to use to enjoy a little more life 
     than I had been able to.
       In 1995, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which I went 
     through and got on with my life. In December 1999, I had 
     another mastectomy, which I hope I will recover from as well 
     as I did in the case of my first mastectomy.
       Since the time I was diagnosed with cancer, the cost of my 
     drugs has spiraled up and up. I live on a fixed income. I 
     also have to pay for health insurance. Believe me, I am not 
     complaining, ``poor little me.'' There are many people worse 
     off than me, and this is why I am writing. Maybe my letter 
     will help others.
       I will give you an estimate of what I am paying every month 
     for drugs.

  She proceeds through a long list. Her cancer medication is $180 for 
31 tablets. Her high blood pressure medication is $21 for a month's 
supply. Her blood thinner medication is $20 for a month. Nasal spray is 
$58 for a month. And on and on.
  The total for each month for my constituent is $377.85 and it 
continues to go up and up, as she indicates in her letter.
  She indicates here that she hopes that everyone who needs these drugs 
will be able to afford them and live a healthier life.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise, as we approach Memorial Day, to recognize 
the fact that not only my constituent from Fenton, Michigan, but four 
million veterans and four million spouses of veterans in this country 
have no help for their prescription drug coverage. We are talking about 
people who were willing to lay their lives on the line.
  This Monday we will honor those who gave their lives in service for 
our Nation. And in light of this and these statistics, I believe we 
need to call upon all of us to act immediately to address the issue of 
the high cost of prescription drugs, particularly for our older 
Americans where we have the opportunity by just simply passing Medicare 
coverage, by modernizing Medicare, to cover the way health care is 
provided today with prescription drug coverage.
  We can honor our veterans by fulfilling the promise of health care 
that was made to them. Each one of our servicemen and women, as they 
come to the service of our country, they sign on the dotted line; and 
we, in return, indicate to them the promise of health care. Not only 
are we not fulfilling the health care promise to our veterans as it 
relates to full funding health care for our veterans, but when we have 
4 million of our veterans, 4 million of their spouses that do not have 
any access to help cover their prescription drug coverage, we need to 
act. There is something wrong; and we need to take it very, very 
seriously.
  It is not right when someone who has cared for her disabled husband, 
someone who is a disabled veteran, his wife, who goes on to have health 
care problems herself, who has saved a little bit in her life now finds 
herself using all of those little bit of savings in order to pay for 
her medication and then find herself on a fixed income paying almost 
$400 a month for medications.
  We need to act. It is time now to lower the cost of prescription 
drugs and to modernize Medicare.

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