[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 27, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H611-H612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPORT H.R. 2820 AND SUPPORT OUR VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. STRICKLAND. Madam Speaker, we hear lots of lofty words and 
phrases uttered in this Chamber when it comes to honoring our military 
men and women and paying our debt of gratitude to our veterans who have 
served this country so nobly. But I have found that talk is cheap, and 
if one wants to know what is really important to the people who occupy 
this Chamber, one watches where the money goes. How do we use our 
resources?
  I want to call to this Chamber's attention two things that have 
happened recently which negatively impact our Nation's veterans. We are 
in the process of imposing upon many of our veterans an annual 
deductible of $1,500 in order for them to receive health care at our 
veterans' facilities. Madam Speaker, $1,500, a new burden being placed 
upon our veterans.
  In addition to that burden, there is an additional burden. In the 
past, veterans have been able to go to our hospitals and receive 
prescription drugs by giving a $2 per prescription copay; $2 per 
prescription. But, sadly, in early February of this year, that copay 
was increased dramatically by 250 percent. So now veterans do not pay 
$2 when they get a prescription filled, they are required to pay $7 for 
each prescription.
  Now, at a VA hospital in my area, the average veteran gets over 10 
prescriptions per month. If we take 10 prescriptions per month and we 
charge $7 copay per prescription, that is $70 a month, and many of our 
veterans get their medications for 3 months at a time. If we take 70 
times 3, that is $210. But what does this mean to the veteran who is 
living on a fixed income, a veteran who has served this country 
honorably and nobly, a veteran who has paid the price for the security 
needs of this Nation? This new burden for a veteran who takes 10 
prescriptions a month amounts to $600 per year. This is totally 
unjustified.
  Madam Speaker, I would point out that we are doing this at a time 
when this House voted just a few days ago to eliminate the Alternative 
Minimum Tax, a tax that was placed on wealthy corporations, profitable 
corporations during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, because back in 
those days,

[[Page H612]]

President Reagan recognized that there were janitors who were literally 
paying more in taxes than the profitable corporations that they worked 
for. So the Alternative Minimum Tax was imposed, and it has been in 
place since 1986. But in this Chamber, just a few days ago, we voted to 
eliminate that tax and to refund the money that had been paid by these 
profitable corporations since 1986, what is estimated to be 
approximately $24 billion that would be given back, with no strings 
attached. We are doing that at the same time we are putting burdens on 
the backs of our veterans.
  What we have done, basically, is to require veterans to pay more for 
their health care at the same time we are giving huge tax breaks and 
tax give-backs to profitable corporations. It is unacceptable.
  Madam Speaker, I have introduced H.R. 2820, a bill that would simply 
return the copay to $2, at a level it has been for quite some time, and 
it would freeze it at the $2 level for the next 5 years. It seems to me 
that this is the least we can do for these men and women who have 
served our country.
  Now, I believe this is something that this House will be willing to 
do, and I am calling upon my colleagues of both political parties to 
sign on to this legislation. Thus far, I have acquired about 70 
cosponsors, Republicans and Democrats alike.
  I would like to point out that the cointroducer of this legislation 
with me is a Republican, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney). The 
gentleman from Ohio and I are hopeful that all of our colleagues in 
this House will join us in the effort to reduce this burden upon our 
veterans, and we will be grateful if they do, and I am sure the 
veterans in this country will be grateful as well.

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