[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H3234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  MEDICARE CARD PROVIDES GREAT SAVINGS

  (Mrs. CAPITO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, seniors throughout West Virginia are 
learning about potential savings on their prescriptions because of 
recent reforms to Medicare. No matter what critics may say, it is very 
easy to find out information about the new prescription drug card. Just 
ask Ann Brown, one of my constituents.
  I worked with Ann. We went on line together. And she was able to see 
very easily what her savings would be by going onto the Medicare.gov 
website.
  But Ann is not alone. A senior living in Charleston, West Virginia in 
a 25304 zip code who takes Fosamax for osteoporosis, Zocor for 
cholesterol, and Nexium for acid reflux can save $170 a month by using 
a Medicare-endorsed cards, which is a savings of over $2,000 a year. 
That is a real savings.
  Why are they saving? Because the competition and buying power of over 
40 million seniors across the country is driving down the cost of 
prescriptions.
  Beginning on June 1, seniors will begin to realize these significant 
savings, and through the Medicare-endorsed prescription drug card, they 
will see that this benefit is significant, meaningful and hits the 
bottom line.

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