[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 1, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3575-H3576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT STARTS TODAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, here it is June 1, and the Medicare 
prescription drug benefit starts today. This drug benefit is a long 
time in coming. In fact, it is the missing link from when Medicare was 
passed back in 1965. The Medicare prescription drug benefit is going to 
occur in two phases, and the first phase starts today and that is the 
Medicare prescription drug discount card which is available to any 
senior calling 1-800-Medicare or logging on to the Internet, 
www.medicare.gov.
 The formal program is choice based, consumer driven and affordable. 
In fact, low-income seniors will receive an extra $600 subsidy this 
year and next year. When the full Medicare prescription drug benefit 
kicks in on January 1, 2006, seniors will have the choice whether or 
not to opt into the program. Taking the prescription drug benefit 
discount now in no way obligates a senior to a future Medicare 
prescription drug benefit in the year 2006.
  The most important thing about this legislation is that for the first 
time it actually empowers seniors to make the best choices based on 
value. For the first time, a senior can call 1-800-Medicare or log onto 
the Web site medicare.gov, and if they know the name of their 
prescription drug, their dosage and their ZIP Code, they can find out 
which Medicare prescription drug card would be best for them, which 
would cover the medications they are taking, which would provide the 
best benefits. Whether it be a mail order pharmacy or a neighborhood 
pharmacy, seniors will have that information at their fingertips.

                              {time}  2000

  Seniors are used to comparison shopping. They shop on line for 
cruises, they shop on line for clothes at various retail outlets. For 
the first time, they are going to have the ability to use that same 
consumer savvy with the purchase of their prescription drugs.
  The site is far from perfect, and there will be additional 
improvements that

[[Page H3576]]

occur along the way. I myself envision a day where the site will be 
very much like perhaps Travelocity, where you just go in and type in 
the drug that you need and you will come up with several options on 
where to purchase it for the lowest price. But, for right now, this 
provides for the first time a database, a consumer-driven database that 
consumers may access at no cost to them to find out whether or not this 
program will be beneficial for their particular prescription drug needs 
and in their particular area.
  Rather than a one-size-fits-all program that almost never works, 
rather than having the government tell you where and when you can buy 
your medications, this allows seniors to be in the driver's seat.

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