[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 57 (Thursday, April 29, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4680-S4681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      MEDICARE DRUG DISCOUNT CARD

  Mr. TALENT. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a much 
anticipated health care benefit that will help millions of our Nation's 
seniors--the new Medicare prescription drug discount card.
  There are approximately $900,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Missouri; 
of these about one-fourth doesn't have prescription drug coverage. The 
new Medicare drug law provides these people with access to a 
prescription drug benefit for the first time in the history of the 
Medicare program. Medicare recipients--people 65 and older and some 
disabled people--are eligible, unless they receive drug coverage 
through Medicaid. A person with a discount card can get the price 
breaks by simply going to the participating pharmacies and presenting 
the card.
  Seniors know that these cards are a good deal--about 7.3 million 
Medicare recipients are expected to sign up for them. Applications for 
the cards will be available May 3, and the discounts begin June 1. The 
cards have an annual enrollment fee of up to $30, and offer an average 
savings of about 17 percent and for some drugs up to 25 percent off. 
The average savings on generic drugs is even higher--35 percent to 40 
percent. These discounts are for at least one drug in each of 209 
categories of medicines commonly used by seniors.
  Beneficiaries with annual incomes less than $12,569 per year for 
individuals or $16,862 for couples are eligible for a $600 annual 
subsidy for their prescription drug costs. Also, these folks won't have 
to pay any enrollment fees for the next 2 calendar years. That's a 
total of $191 million in additional help for the 159,000 beneficiaries 
in Missouri who are currently eligible to participate in this program. 
These lower income seniors will also get price discounts of up to 25 
percent on brand-name drugs and up to 40 percent of generic drugs.
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expect 65 percent of the 
low-income beneficiaries nationally to participate in this program. 
This means that a total of 103,000 Missourians are expected to enroll 
in the Medicare drug discount card and to save a total of $124 million 
over the next two calendar years. You can see why this is a good deal 
for America's seniors to help them lead longer, healthier lives through 
medication therapy.
  I have traveled all over my home State of Missouri and have visited 
with dozens of seniors who've told me about the high price of medicine, 
and how they are making tough choices between paying for their needed 
drugs and paying for other essentials of life.
  I want to take a minute to tell you about Audrey Vallely, a senior 
from Pacific, MO, who testified at an Aging Committee hearing that I 
held in St. Louis last August. Audrey has osteoarthritis, a 
degenerative bone disease and another sinus disease that causes her to 
become dizzy. Her medicine costs over $100 a month for 15 or so pills 
to treat these conditions. But because she is living on a limited 
income, she cannot afford to pay for these medicines.
  Audrey told me how sometimes she must choose between buying 
prescription drugs or paying rent, buying food or just living with air 
conditioning in the summer. These are choices that no one should have 
to make. I made a promise to Missouri seniors like Audrey that I would 
help them get access to quality, affordable health care, and today I am 
pleased to deliver on that promise.
  I want to share with you some of the questions that seniors have 
asked me about the drug card as I visited with them during my Medicare 
town hall meetings in Missouri.
  First, folks wanted to know whether they had to enroll in the drug 
discount card. The answer is no, these discount cards are completely 
voluntary. That means enrolling is their choice. Importantly, seniors 
and not the Government will have the power to choose which card is best 
for them depending on their health care needs.
  Seniors also wanted to know who can get one of these discount cards. 
I told them that almost anyone with Medicare can get a discount card. 
The only people who aren't eligible are those who have outpatient 
prescription drug coverage through Medicaid when they apply.
  Thinking that these drug discount cards could be a very good thing, 
seniors wanted to know how soon they could get these cards and how long 
the discounts would last. I told them that they could begin enrolling 
in the drug discount cards this month, and the cards will be good until 
at least December 31, 2005, when Medicare's new prescription drug 
benefit starts.
  Seniors also asked me whether there was only one Medicare-approved 
drug discount card that they could get. Last March, HHS approved 28 
providers that will offer about 49 different discount cards to Medicare 
beneficiaries. This means that seniors will have a choice of more than 
one discount card and this is a good thing since seniors with a certain 
type of disease like diabetes or heart disease may choose a card with 
deeper discounts on medicines that treat that disease.

[[Page S4681]]

  Also, there may be some seniors who prefer specific name brands or 
generic drugs, and they may want to choose a card from that 
manufacturer. Missouri has a combined total of 43 individual drug 
cards. This includes 36 national drug cards, 4 regional cards, and 3 
Medicare Advantage exclusive cards. With all these choices, seniors can 
choose which card is best for their particular health care needs.
  The cards are completely voluntary, so those seniors who don't want a 
card don't have to have one. But for those seniors who choose to take 
advantage of the drug discounts, I look forward to helping them get 
started and putting them in touch with people and resources to help 
them make informed decisions.
  Beginning today, 1-800-Medicare will be staffed with 1,400 operators 
around the clock to field questions about which discount card is best 
for that particular senior. Or folks can go online at www.Medicare.gov 
and search prescription drug and other assistance programs to prepare 
for the May 3 enrollment.
  There is much to be excited about, and I am pleased to support this 
benefit to help our Greatest Generation live longer, healthier lives.
  I also thank Chairman Grassley for his leadership on the Medicare 
law, and recognize his hard work to build strong bipartisan support for 
this legislation to help America's seniors.

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