[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 14 (Thursday, February 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE SENIOR NUTRITION ACT

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                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                  in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 10, 2005

  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. I rise today to introduce the 
Senior Nutrition Act, a bill I also introduced last year as H.R. 1021.
  The intent of the Senior Nutrition Act is very simply to help more 
seniors get the food they need by changing eligibility standards for 
the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, CSFP. Among other things, this 
will help offset the increasing cost of prescription drugs for many 
seniors.
  The mission of the CSFP is to improve the health of both women with 
children and seniors by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA 
commodity foods. More than 400,000 people participate in the CSFP each 
month, but it is important to note that the majority of these 
participants--more than 75 percent--are elderly and that number is on 
the rise.
  The average senior citizen pays around $1,000 per year on 
prescription drugs. Many seniors who rely solely on Medicare for their 
health care cannot afford to buy prescription drugs, and are forced to 
either stretch their prescriptions, or to choose between purchasing 
medication or food.
  The Senior Nutrition Act will provide for the following:
  1. In those areas in which the CSFP operates, categorical eligibility 
is granted for seniors who participate or is eligible to participate in 
the Food Stamp Program. No further verification of income would be 
necessary in such cases; and
  2. The same income standard that is currently used to determine 
eligibility for women, infants, and children in the CSFP--185 percent 
of the Poverty Income Guidelines--would be applied to senior applicants 
as well. The current income eligibility standard for seniors has been 
capped by regulation at 130 percent.
  Despite the addition of a Medicare prescription drug plan, many of 
our seniors still need help. We have an obligation to protect our most 
vulnerable citizens from having to make the awful choice of eating or 
taking their prescriptions. The Senior Nutrition Act will help protect 
the health and well being of our senior citizens.

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