[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 166 (Monday, November 17, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H11193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  FALSE PROMISE FOR AMERICA'S SENIORS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, after years of talk about the need to help our 
seniors with the high cost of prescription drugs, it appears that 
sometime this week, or perhaps this weekend, this Congress will be 
voting. They will be voting on a bill that is nothing more than a false 
hope and a false promise for America's seniors. In fact, Max Richmond, 
the head of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and 
Medicare, a nonpartisan, not bipartisan, but a nonpartisan, nonprofit 
organization, has been quoted as saying, ``Have you ever heard of 
Medicare fraud? Well, this Republican prescription drug bill is 
Medicare fraud.''
  Let me tell you why. As I see it, there are three major problems with 
the bill. Problem number one: the Republican leadership actually had 
the nerve to put language in the bill that says the Federal Government 
shall be prohibited from negotiating with the big drug manufacturers to 
bring down the high cost of medicine. That is in the bill. Then they 
call it a seniors bill.
  Problem number two is the prescription drug plan will be privatized. 
And what is worse than that is the rest of Medicare could very well be 
privatized by 2010 under this bill. Insurance is about spreading the 
risk. When our homeowners policy comes due, sure, we complain; but when 
you think about the fact that they will replace everything in our house 
and build us a new house if something happens, it is fairly reasonable, 
the premium we pay. And why is that? When is the last time you saw a 
home in your neighborhood burn down or get blown away? It does not 
happen very often. Insurance is about spreading the risk.
  Well, with seniors there is no risk to spread. Seniors require a lot 
of medicine and a lot of health care to either get well or to stay 
healthy. That is why we created Medicare 38 years ago.
  So why do the Republican leadership and the big drug manufacturers 
want to privatize the Medicare prescription drug benefit? Well, let me 
tell you why. You hear about how prescription drugs are less expensive 
in other countries. It is true. I did a survey about a year ago where I 
compared the price paid by seniors of the five most commonly used 
brand-name drugs in my district with seven other countries. And guess 
what we found: seniors in my district pay on average 110 percent more 
than seniors in these other countries.
  Now, why is that? Because America is the only industrialized Nation 
in the world where people go without health insurance; 43.6 million of 
them today, 10 million of them are children and the rest of them, for 
the most part, are people that are trying to do the right thing and 
work jobs, but they are working the jobs with no benefits.
  In other countries everybody has health care. And in other countries 
they tell the big drug manufacturers if you want your medicine, your 
brand in our country, you are going to give us a discount. And they do. 
And the drug manufacturers and the Republican leadership know good and 
well that if we have 40 million seniors under one plan in America, that 
we too will demand those kinds of discounts to help offset the cost of 
this program.
  So they want to privatize the plan and spread seniors out over about 
100 plans and have 100 different insurance companies knocking on your 
door and calling and sending mail to your mother or dad or grandfather 
or grandmother all trying to sell them, what? Exactly the same plan. 
Privatization will not work.
  The third big problem with this is it is not really a meaningful 
benefit. Most people who are fortunate enough to have a private health 
insurance company, and every plan is a little different, but most 
people who are fortunate to have private health insurance, well, the 
first $3,500 worth of medicine they pay about $700 out of pocket. Under 
this Republican prescription drug plan, on the first $3,500 worth of 
medicine, seniors are going to get stuck with $2,600 of it. All this 
talk in Washington amounts to $900 worth of help on the first $3,500 
worth of medicine.
  You see, it is going to have a $250 deductible. And during that time, 
you have got to pay the monthly premium, which they say may be $35; but 
they are not real sure what it will be, it could be more. And then 
after $250 up to $2,000, Medicare is going to pay 80 percent and you 
pay 20 percent. That sounds pretty good. But on a $100 prescription, 
once you get to the $250 mark and you are paying $20, what happens when 
you hit $2,000? All the way up to $3,500 you are back paying the full 
$100. Medicare pays nothing. But they still bill you monthly for this 
premium. This is Medicare fraud. It is wrong. This is America, and we 
can do better than that by our seniors.

                          ____________________