[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 7, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     URGING HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP TO GIVE PRESCRIPTION DRUG 
                    LEGISLATION THE TIME IT DESERVES

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, there are less than 65 
legislative days in the calendar, and we have not dealt with one of the 
most important concerns: the issue of prescription drugs. Our seniors 
should not have to make a choice between paying rent or buying food and 
purchasing their prescription drugs.
  In the 1960s, we stepped up to the plate and provided medical 
coverage for those over 65 years of age. The Congress passed and 
President Johnson signed the Medicare program in 1965. The program has 
grown, and now over 40 million seniors are a part of Medicare. It is a 
good, solid program which provides basic medical care, but it has not 
kept up with new medical developments.
  Since 1965, a lot has changed in how we treat patients. Today if we 
were designing the medical care system for those over 65, prescription 
drugs would be an integral part of the whole. We have not adapted 
Medicare to modern medicine. Many of the chronic illnesses in our 
senior population can be treated effectively with new drugs which have 
been recently developed.
  A prescription drug component to Medicare must have several key 
provisions:
  No. 1, it must be available to all of those covered by Medicare;
  No. 2, it must be affordable;
  No. 3, it must be voluntary;
  No. 4, a reasonable premium must be charged;
  And No. 5, it must cover basic prescription drug needs.
  Unfortunately, our Republican friends have proposed a proposal and a 
program which only covers 6 percent of the senior population. This is 
nothing more than a Band-Aid for a serious medical crisis. We must act 
to provide comprehensive coverage for all who want it, and we must do 
so now.
  The other important action we must take is to eliminate the price 
discrimination in prescription drugs. The Prescription Drug Fairness 
Act does that. Today, an uninsured senior pays far more than an HMO for 
his or her prescription drugs. In a recent survey in my congressional 
district in northern New Mexico, uninsured seniors paid 115 percent 
more for their prescription drugs than large purchasers pay. That is 
more than double the price for uninsured seniors.
  These big drug companies have set up a two-tiered system of pricing. 
The uninsured senior gets the higher-priced drugs, while the large 
corporate purchasers, like HMOs, get a preferred customer price, a 
lower price.
  To be fair, we must eliminate price discrimination. The Prescription 
Drug Fairness Act does just that. If any customer is charged a 
preferred customer price, then all customers are entitled to purchase 
at that price. This simple legislative solution would substantially 
reduce the price of prescription drugs, and we must pass this piece of 
legislation.
  Just several words on our approach to passing prescription drug 
legislation. We cannot pass this legislation in a couple of hours. We 
must dedicate significant committee and floor time to find a bipartisan 
solution. Ramming a bill through the House in a couple of hours and 
then blaming the Senate for not acting is not responsible legislating.
  I urge the Republican leadership to give this legislation the time it 
deserves, and to allow the Democrats the opportunity to fully 
participate in the legislative process.

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