[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 39 (Thursday, March 22, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              BREAST CANCER PRESCRIPTION DRUG FAIRNESS ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ferguson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. GRUCCI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss a serious health issue 
that potentially affects the lives of every woman on Long Island. 
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the 
United States, and Long Island's breast cancer rates are the highest in 
the Nation, 20 percent higher than the national average. Today, many 
lack the coverage for prescription drugs and face severe financial 
problems in affording the medications they need to defeat this dreadful 
and horrible disease.
  Being diagnosed with breast cancer is a devastating experience for a 
woman and her family. Yet breast cancer victims on Medicare and those 
without any coverage have a tough time or simply cannot afford the 
medications they need. The bipartisan Breast Cancer Prescription Drug 
Fairness Act that I along, with the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
McCarthy), introduced would end that. H.R. 758 aims to make 
prescription drugs available to Medicare beneficiaries and seeks to 
allow those without medical coverage to buy into the system. Right now 
women on Medicare receive their breast cancer medication for $58 a 
month whereas women without coverage must pay $105 a month. In 1998, 18 
percent of all New York women between the ages of 18 and 64 were 
uninsured. In 2001, approximately 2,200 New York women diagnosed with 
breast cancer would be uninsured. With 85 percent of breast cancer 
victims over the age of 55, this bill gives Medicare recipients the 
purchasing power to buy prescription drugs at a much lower price.
  This bill is about saving women's lives. No one fighting breast 
cancer should have to choose between buying food or the medication that 
will save their lives. Until a cure for this horrible disease is 
discovered, we must do all that we can to give breast cancer victims 
every opportunity to beat this disease.
  Mr. Speaker, I call upon my colleagues to join the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. McCarthy) and myself as a cosponsor of the Breast Cancer 
Prescription Drug Fairness Act.

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