[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 111 (Thursday, September 5, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6078-H6079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NEEDED PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2001, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hall).
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Hayes) for yielding to me. And I also really appreciate 
the fact that he, as the Speaker's designee, will talk on something as 
important as prescription drugs. Actually, it is a matter that we 
should have said stayed here during the month of August and worked on. 
It is a matter that we find our senior citizens missing meals in order 
to buy their prescriptions. That is something we should just not 
tolerate in this country.
  We have tried everything in the world here on the floor and in our 
committees and in our visits with one another to solve this problem. We 
sent two bills over last session. Neither one of them came back from 
the Senate.
  I have a practical solution that I am suggesting to the gentleman 
from

[[Page H6079]]

North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), and I will support him and work on with him 
on this. I want to tell him a small, quick story.
  We have the President of the United States, a fine young man, 
courageous young President, Commander in Chief of our Army, Navy, 
Marine Corps and all of that; but he was also Governor of Texas at one 
time. And as Governor of Texas, he headed up the Texas Rangers. Texas 
Rangers are known for the fact that one Ranger can handle one riot.
  My suggestion is that this President work with our present Governor 
and get some Texas Rangers, go down to Laredo, Texas, and cross the Rio 
Grande, go into Mexico and go to the first drug store they get to and 
go in there and ask that pharmacist to come out in the middle of the 
street and let that Ranger talk to him and let that Ranger ask him, How 
do you sell prescription drugs down here for 10 percent of what our 
people can buy them for in the United States when you buy yours from 
the United States?
  If we can solve that riddle, we are on page one.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from North Carolina 
(Mr. Hayes). I admire him. I am one of his great admirers in this body. 
I thank him for caring enough and taking the time to bring the 
prescription drug debate to a head on this very floor. God bless him.
  Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership on 
this vitally important issue.
  Mr. Speaker, as other Members of the body, I have just returned from 
a district work period. The major part of that district work period was 
spent listening very carefully to constituents in the eighth district 
of North Carolina. Not only about their concerns but asking them for 
their advice, their common sense, using their own experience to help us 
here in Washington make policy that solves problems back home.
  As I traveled the district from east to west, one of the most 
consistent areas of comment, one of the most consistent problems that I 
faced that people unanimously talked about in the same tone and the 
same content was the need for a prescription drug benefit under 
Medicare.
  Beside me is a list, a petition if you will, signed by senior 
citizens in Concord, Kannapolis, Charlotte, Raeford in Hoke County, 
Laurinburg in Scotland County, Troy and Mount Gilead in Montgomery 
County, Wadesboro in Anson County, Fayetteville in Cumberland County. 
Each one of the people that signed this petition said very clearly to 
me, we need a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.
  On June 30 of this year we celebrated the 37th birthday of Medicare. 
In that period of 37 years many people in this country have been 
properly helped by Medicare. During that period of time, Mr. Speaker, a 
number of dramatic changes have taken place in the practice of 
medicine. Many diseases, many conditions that required treatment 
previously by extensive hospitalization or invasive surgical procedures 
are now able to be treated with medications. Given that and a number of 
other reasons, it is all the more appropriate that we provide a 
prescription drug benefit for our seniors, given not only the necessity 
for prescription drugs to improve the quality of life for our seniors 
and to give them the support that they so richly deserve for supporting 
us for many years, but the point is it is appropriate from a factual 
standpoint to upgrade our treatment of Medicare to reflect the modern-
day miracles of the practice of medicine.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention and the body the 
following information from the Constitution. The House of 
Representatives has passed a prescription drug plan under Medicare in a 
bipartisan manner. The U.S. Constitution, article 1, section 7, clause 
2 says: ``Every bill which shall have passed the House of 
Representatives must also pass the Senate before it becomes law.''
  As I said, the House has passed a bipartisan prescription drug plan 
under Medicare for our seniors. There have been a number of bills 
debated in the Senate. A number of bills have been voted on in the 
Senate. They have not passed a prescription drug plan in the Senate 
which is controlled by Democrats. The Constitution is very clear. In 
order to become law, a prescription drug benefit must be passed by the 
House. We have done that. The Senate must pass a bill. The two bills 
will be combined in a conference committee and then the President can 
sign that bill into law.
  Our seniors need and deserve the prescription drug benefit plan; and 
that is the only way, rightfully so, under our Constitution that we can 
get that done. And, again, I refer to the names, and I have many others 
on sheets of paper, who have looked at and are simply saying we need to 
follow the Constitution. We need to provide this for our seniors.
  Medicare is a good program. It has been helping millions of older 
Americans meet their needs since that first day back in 1965, but we 
can and should strengthen Medicare to make it even better for our 
seniors. Again, we need to follow the Constitution. There is a 
bipartisan plan that we have passed here in the House. And let me give 
you some of the details of how it provides an affordable, immediate, 
and permanent prescription drug benefit.
  Under the plan passed by the House, these are some of the things that 
would happen: it is a voluntary drug benefit available to all Medicare 
beneficiaries. All Medicare beneficiaries are covered. Those who want 
to stay with their current coverage will not be forced into a 
government plan. Extra assistance for lower-income seniors, fully 
subsidized premium and cost sharing for couples earning up to $16,000.

                              {time}  1230

  Partial premium subsidy, for couples earning up to $19,000.
  This plan would provide immediate discounts on drug purchases. 
Seniors would benefit immediately from discounts, approximately 15 
percent or more on their purchases through a Medicare-endorsed discount 
card program. Beneficiaries choose the plan that is best for them. A 
choice of at least two plans is included in the House package. It 
guarantees competition, and competition helps hold down costs.
  Quality improvements: to improve health care for seniors; protection 
against adverse drug interactions; electronic prescribing to minimize 
potential medical errors; pharmacy therapy management for chronic 
conditions; mechanic modernizations; a rural relief package for 
underpaid rural hospitals. Again, vitally important pieces for the 
plan; and yes, this plan provides catastrophic coverage for those 
seniors most in need of financial assistance.
  No senior should ever be forced to choose between buying their 
prescription drugs or purchasing food and other necessities. Our 
seniors have been promised prescription drug coverage. They deserve no 
less than immediate action.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I would refer to article I, section 7, clause 2, 
and ask that we do our job. We have done it in the House. We would ask 
the Senate to pass a plan, any of the ones they have discussed, at 
which time the President can sign that into law and provide a badly 
needed and well-deserved benefit for seniors for prescription drugs 
under Medicare.

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