[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 55 (Tuesday, May 9, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H2187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MEDICARE PART D

  (Mr. GINGREY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, this Sunday is Mother's Day. I know there 
must be people out there, who, like me, are looking for a last minute 
gift for their mothers, and I have a great suggestion.
  If your mother or father, and Father's Day is coming up soon too, if 
either of them is a senior, you can give them the gift of health by 
helping them enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan.
  The initial enrollment period for Medicare part D ends next Monday, 
May 15, the day after Mother's Day. That means seniors have less than a 
week remaining to enroll in a plan and be guaranteed the lowest 
premiums and the most savings.
  Already, more than 30 million seniors have enrolled, and those 
seniors are saving an average of $1,100 a year on their medications. A 
recent survey showed that 90 percent of seniors say their plan is 
convenient to use, and 85 percent say their plan is affordable and 
covers the medicines that they need.
  As a physician, I know if seniors can't afford their medication, they 
will go without to the detriment of their health.
  After years of promises, Mr. Speaker, President Bush and this 
Republican Congress have finally delivered on prescription drug 
coverage under Medicare. Now, in this final week, I encourage all 
seniors to sign up and start saving.

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