[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 56 (Wednesday, May 10, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H2472-H2479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENCOURAGING ALL ELIGIBLE MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES TO REVIEW AVAILABLE
OPTIONS TO DETERMINE WHETHER ENROLLMENT IN A MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG
PLAN BEST MEETS THEIR NEEDS FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 802) encouraging all eligible Medicare
beneficiaries who have not yet elected enroll in the new Medicare Part
D benefit to review the available options and to determine whether
enrollment in a Medicare prescription drug plan best meets their
current and future needs for prescription drug coverage.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 802
Whereas Medicare now offers a prescription drug benefit for
its beneficiaries, known as Medicare Part D;
Whereas more than 35,900,000 Medicare eligible individuals
are receiving prescription drug coverage, of which there are
more than 27,000,000, including a substantial number of low-
income and minority beneficiaries, receiving coverage through
the new benefit;
Whereas 8,100,000 beneficiaries have enrolled in stand
alone Medicare prescription drug plans;
Whereas estimates indicate that the average beneficiary
will save more than $1,100 this year alone by enrolling in a
Medicare prescription drug plan;
Whereas the average monthly premium for enrolling in a
Medicare prescription drug plan is now just $25 per month,
which is far below the initial estimate of $37 per month;
Whereas recent surveys of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled
in Medicare prescription drug plans indicate that
beneficiaries are satisfied with their coverage;
Whereas advocacy groups including the AARP, National
Alliance for Hispanic Health, the National Medical
Association, and the National Council on Aging have all
sponsored enrollment events designed to encourage eligible
beneficiaries to enroll in Medicare prescription drug plans;
Whereas Area Agencies on Aging, State Health Insurance
Programs (SHIPs), and other local and community organizations
are available to provide seniors with assistance and answer
their questions about how to select the Medicare prescription
drug plan that best meets their needs;
Whereas pharmacists are on the front line in delivering
prescriptions to Medicare beneficiaries and continue to be
instrumental in providing valuable information and assistance
about the new benefit;
Whereas in recent months Members of Congress have hosted
hundreds of events and the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare &
[[Page H2473]]
Medicaid Services, and other Administration officials have
sponsored thousands of outreach and enrollment events, to
educate seniors regarding the new prescription drug benefit;
Whereas the deadline for enrollment in the new prescription
drug plan without being subject to any late enrollment
penalty is May 15, 2006; and
Whereas editorial writers and opinion leaders across the
nation have recognized the importance of an enrollment
deadline because it encourages beneficiaries to make a
decision about enrolling: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages all
Medicare beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled in Part D to
review carefully all of the options that are available to
them and to determine whether enrollment in a Medicare
prescription drug plan best meets their current and future
needs for prescription drug coverage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Deal) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would ask unanimous consent that
the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson) be allowed to control
10 minutes of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
General Leave
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on
the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss something of great importance to
all Medicare beneficiaries. As my colleagues are no doubt aware, on
January 1 of this year, prescription drug coverage for our seniors
became more than just something we talked about in this body. It became
a reality for every single person eligible for Medicare.
This legislation accomplished a very important thing. It helped
millions of senior citizens save thousands of dollars on their
prescription drugs.
For years, before enactment of this new benefit, we heard the horror
stories of our seniors having to choose between groceries or their
medicines, or having to cut their pills in half, all because they just
couldn't afford their prescription drugs. Well, now, all those
beneficiaries have the option to have good drug coverage and have the
quality of life that we wish for all of our American seniors.
As of today, we have nearly 37 million Medicare beneficiaries with
drug coverage. This is an outstanding number. The unparalleled effort
to get this brand-new change to Medicare up and running and get people
enrolled has truly been incredible. However, there are still
individuals who have not yet signed up, and we want to make sure that
they are aware of this new benefit and can examine the options
available to them, and can and will make a decision as to whether or
not to sign up.
We have to remember, though, that this is a voluntary benefit. If a
beneficiary chooses not to enroll, then that is his or her choice.
However, we will ensure that all seniors have the information available
to them to make such an informed decision.
We are on the verge of an important date in the implementation of the
new Medicare prescription drug benefit. The initial enrollment period
for drug coverage ends at midnight, May 15. All beneficiaries who have
not signed up for this new benefit will need to make a choice. If there
is a Medicare prescription drug plan out there that will save you money
on your prescriptions, I would urge these seniors to sign up before May
15 in order to avoid paying a penalty. Like Medicare part B, if a
beneficiary fails to enroll in part D during their initial eligibility
period, then they may have to pay a penalty.
Even if you are a Medicare beneficiary who doesn't have any
prescription medicines right now, I urge you to consider signing up.
You can't wait until you have had an automobile accident to buy
automobile insurance. And if you are eligible today and can save money,
then I urge you to sign up before the open enrollment period ends.
Local outreach efforts and enrollment events are being continued
across the country, and the capacity is in place to help callers who
phone to 1-800-Medicare. People with Medicare can join a Medicare drug
plan through the mail, by phone or over the Web now through May 15 of
2006. All completed applications postmarked on May 15 must be
processed.
I urge all my colleagues to help their constituents to examine all
the options available to them. We can't afford to let the opportunity
to save thousands of dollars on prescription medicines pass even one of
our seniors by.
I encourage, therefore, my colleagues to adopt this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to yield half
of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2\1/4\ minutes.
Here are the facts. They aren't pretty. It is the evening of May 10.
That means there are three working days left until the part D
enrollment deadline.
If you are one of the more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries who
lack coverage and you are not on Medicaid, this deadline is binding on
you.
Unless you enroll by the 15th, you face a late penalty that increases
each month until you do enroll. Your next enrollment opportunity isn't
until November, but the penalty rises anyway.
When and if you do enroll, the accumulated penalty will be added to
your monthly part D premium. Most beneficiaries who sign up in November
will pay a 7 percent penalty for as long as they have coverage.
Why should seniors be tied to the original deadline when the part D
program missed its own deadline?
Part D was supposed to be up and running by January 1. Unless you
believe that mass confusion, major computer glitches, daily bad press,
hit-or-miss consumer assistance qualifies as up and running, then part
D was not up and running by January 1 or February 1 or March 1. It is
barely up and running now.
Why are Medicare enrollees being pressured into a drug plan? Where is
the line between pressure and coercion? And what right does the Federal
Government have to let the drug industry and the insurance industry,
and what right does the President have and the Republican leadership in
Congress have to let the drug companies and the insurance industry
write this bill, pass in the middle of the night and then penalize
seniors when they are confused by this bill? If some seniors are wary
of enrolling, who can blame them?
Aided by a less than hospitable Web site, a blizzard of insurance
company marketing materials, an overburdened Medicare hotline, seniors
are being asked to choose a drug plan that they simply can't
understand, that no one can understand very well.
State and local agencies trying to help Medicare beneficiaries,
including my office and the office of Mr. Green and Mr. Allen and Mr.
Stark and Mr. McDermott, are doing the best we can. But navigating part
D hasn't been easy for any of us.
There are 400,000 Medicare beneficiaries in my State who have not
signed up. They shouldn't be pressured. They shouldn't be penalized.
Seniors didn't ask the Republican majority to bypass Medicare and build
a drug coverage obstacle course. Seniors didn't ask the Republican
majority to let the drug companies write the bill and let the HMOs
shape Medicare policy. That was this body's decision. That was the
President's decision, based on huge numbers of HMO and drug company
contributions. Seniors have to live with it. Giving them time is the
least that we can do.
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Georgia for yielding time to the members of the Ways and Means
Committee Health Subcommittee.
Well, there you have it, folks. There it is. Almost 90 percent of
seniors have drug coverage today, more than ever before in America's
history, and
[[Page H2474]]
thanks to Medicare part D and its 10,000 grass-roots partners who have
reached into communities across our country to provide personal, face-
to-face advice to millions of seniors on signing up.
In Connecticut, 75 percent of our Hispanic seniors are signed up; 69
percent of our African American seniors are signed up; 65 percent of
our Asian American seniors have signed up because, for the very first
time ever, Medicare has partnered with people right in their local
communities to give them the help, support, advice, to make their own
choice about Medicare, which Medicare part D plan helped them do.
And you know what? Poll after poll shows how seniors are happy with
the benefits provided by these plans. AARP, the largest organization
representing seniors, found that eight out of ten seniors enrolled in
the program said that it met or exceeded their expectations. A Kaiser
Family Foundation poll found that three out of four seniors enrolled in
a Medicare D plan are satisfied with their plan and are not having
trouble getting the drugs they need.
Seniors are signing up and they are liking it. Why? Because it saves
them money. It saves them lots of money. It saves some couples $4-,
$5,000 a year.
Why are they signing up? Because it protects them from dangerous,
adverse drug interactions. They have never had that protection before.
Why are they signing up? Because it protects them from catastrophic
drug costs. They have never had that protection before. They have never
had that financial security before.
When Gail Glazewski from Cheshire, Connecticut, found out that her
part D drug program was going to save her $2,000 a year, she just let
out a whoop of glee and said, I am the happiest senior citizen in town.
Gail is one of the millions of seniors that the New York Times reported
last month as Medicare's satisfied customers. The newspaper said, They
are not vocal, they are not organized, but they are saving hundreds,
and in some cases, thousands of dollars for our seniors.
The only sad note has been the dedication of some to scaring our
seniors. It is not uncommon to have a senior tell me how complicated
the program is, how unfair it is, how wrong that I worked so hard to
pass it, only to come back and tell me later, after they went to the
choices counselor, as I proposed, how easy it turned out to be, and how
much money they were saving.
You know, nothing has moved me more than some of the seniors who have
come to me after these counseling sessions with the buses that CMS has
provided, with the State counselors, with the local people, and as one
said, she said, you know, I was sad when I came here. This is the
difference between my staying in my home and having to give up my home.
{time} 1915
So this is a big step forward for Medicare. It is a dramatic change.
It is really exciting to see how people have come forward and signed
up. We have a few more days, and the message is sign up, sign up, sign
up. It not only saves you money, it gives you health protection and
financial protection. You have never before had access to through
Medicare.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a resolution urging seniors to
sign up for a Medicare drug benefit plan before the deadline. Why?
Because it will save you money on prescription drugs, protect you from
harmful drug interactions, and cover 95 percent of your costs if your
personal expenditures exceed $3,600. Medicare Part D will
fundamentally, improve our seniors' health and financial security.
The Medicare momentum we're witnessing is undeniable. Of the 42
million seniors in Medicare, 9 million have drug coverage, either
through TRICARE, FEHBP, or as active employees, and do not need to
enroll. The 33 million remaining, includes 28 million seniors that are
now benefiting from the program. Of the 5 million remaining another 1
million are expected to sign up before the deadline and another 2
million seniors, that qualify for extra help, can continue to sign-up
throughout the year. So at this point it looks like 40 million of the
42 million seniors in Medicare will enjoy prescription drug coverage or
can sign up for it at any point during the year.
A truly remarkable fact and it is due to the spectacular commitment
of over 10,000 grassroots organizations that in partnership with CMS,
have been conducting face-to-face enrollment of seniors. CMS and its
10,000 grassroots partners are conducting more than 1,800 enrollment
events across the country each week, right up until the May 15th
enrollment deadline. Additionally, CMS has increased resources to keep
the wait times down and beneficiary support up at 1-800-MEDICARE and
the Medicare.gov website.
And these seniors and the disabled are filling more than 93 million
prescriptions a month--an average of 3 million a day. As important,
once enrolled in the program seniors are happy with the benefits
provided. AARP, the largest organization representing seniors found
that 8 out of 10 seniors enrolled in the program said that it met or
exceeded their expectations. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds that
3 out of 4 seniors enrolled in a Medicare drug plan are satisfied with
their plan and are not having trouble getting the drugs they need.
Seniors are giving this new benefit their stamp of approval!
But this is a major change in the Medicare program and it is not
surprising that there have been implementation pitfalls along the way
as we heard from GAO and other witnesses at our subcommittee hearing.
Because CMS has aggressively taken ownership of these implementation
problems, most of the problems were addressed within the first two
months of the year. For some, the solutions have been agreed to and
implementation is now proceeding as states submit their bills. Once the
program is free to focus on the delivery of benefits to our seniors, we
will, I'm sure, identify refinements that need to be made with either
CMS' contracting standards or the law.
But at this point, the enrollment numbers and survey after survey
attest to the tremendous value of the Medicare drug benefit. The real
story is that seniors across the country are saving money!
For example, seniors like Gail Glazewski from Cheshire, CT are saving
$2,000 a year who described herself with glee as ``the happiest senior
citizen in town when I realized how much I was going to save!'' That is
the real story of the Medicare prescription drug benefit and it is
being repeated all around the country. Gail is one of the millions of
seniors that the New York Times reported about last month as
``Medicare's Satisfied Customers.'' The newspaper said ``they are not
vocal, they are not organized,'' but they are saving hundreds and in
some cases thousands.
The only sad note has been the dedication of some to scaring our
seniors. It's not uncommon to have a senior tell me how complicated the
program is, how unfair, how wrong I was to work so hard to pass it--
only to admit that they haven't tried to sign-up--and only to say after
we help them--that it wasn't hard and look at the money I'm saving.
When I travel around my district, I meet senior after senior who has
signed up and is saving money and each day help seniors sign up and
save. As we approach the end of the enrollment period, I urge every
senior to sign up, save money, and protect yourself against
catastrophic costs and harmful drug interactions.
There are still seniors that have questions about the program and
haven't enrolled. It's natural to have questions with a change this
big. But every senior--especially those without drug coverage--should
assess the drugs they take and talk to a counselor at 1-800-MEDICARE,
at one of the many hotlines states are operating, or at their local
senior center or agency on aging. They should not let questions about
this program dissuade them from saving money like so many of their
friends, family and neighbors are.
This brings me to my final point. Some are urging delay of the
deadline for signing up. Unfortunately, too often these are the same
Members who use scare tactics to discourage beneficiaries from signing
up early. All programs have deadlines. Shame on them! We must enforce
the deadline so the plans can deliver! We need to let the system work
so any needed refinements needed be addressed promptly.
For years Members of Congress have talked about adding prescription
drug benefits to Medicare. But today--right now--a Medicare
prescription drug benefit is a reality. Thirty million seniors are
benefiting from it, including 8 million who had no drug coverage
before. That is a great, historic achievement for both the health and
financial well-being of our seniors.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Parliamentary Inquiry
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address a parliamentary
inquiry to the Chair.
Is this motion amendable?
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Inglis of South Carolina). No, it is
not.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, second parliamentary inquiry. Is it possible
for the gentlewoman from Connecticut, the author of the amendment, to
withdraw the motion, accept a friendly amendment to urge the
administration
[[Page H2475]]
to move the May 15 enrollment deadline to the end of the year, thereby
enabling another 1 million people to enroll and saving 7 million people
from extra penalties, and then reoffer the motion to suspend the rules
and pass this resolution?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The motion would be permitted to specify
whatever text might be proposed for adoption by the House.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, that is the question.
I would therefore, Mr. Speaker, like to address a question to the
author of the bill. Would she be willing, as you have said, she has the
clear authority to withdraw her motion, amend it so that 1 million
Americans would have extra time to sign up and save the money and then
resubmit it to the House. Then I am sure we will all support her
resolution.
I would be glad to yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut if she
would care to respond.
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. I would be happy to respond. Actuaries
estimate things differently. The CMS actuaries estimate that 1.1
million won't sign up if we move the deadline. In other words, they
will lose the pressure they have today to sign up by May 15 and the
total will be lower, not higher.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her response. I
would like to note that the gentlewoman, Mrs. Johnson from the Fifth
District of Connecticut, having the clear opportunity to afford
millions of Americans the extra time to sign up for this marvelous
program has declined to do it. In doing so, she has condemned probably
7 million people to paying an extra 7 to 10 percent on their premiums
for the rest of their lives.
If this plan is so good, then my question would be why the
gentlewoman from Connecticut, who is refusing to extend the time for
these seniors, why they are doing that. It just amazes me, Mr. Speaker,
that if the plan is good why they would try to deny this. The extra
million people that the Congressional Budget Office tells us would sign
up and for the great savings that would come it would cost an extra
maybe $100 million.
But out of a $1 trillion bill that would seem to me to be a paltry
amount and it would save 7.5 million seniors from this additional
Republican tax on their Medicare benefits. I just wanted to know
clearly that it is Mrs. Johnson, the author of this, who refuses to
allow us to vote on the opportunity to extend the deadline for those
many millions of Americans who haven't been able to participate.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume. Actually, Mrs. Johnson is not the author of the resolution. I
believe I am. I would have the same response because I find it somewhat
interesting that the gentleman from California who, according to my
statistics, says 83 percent of his seniors who have signed up for the
program, who I believe voted against the inception of the program to
begin with, and who has repeatedly said how bad the program is, would
now say we need to give more time to sign up for a program that he
doesn't like to start with. There is something basically inconsistent.
If we had seen as much effort on the other side to encourage seniors
to sign up as we have seen to discourage them from doing so, perhaps we
would have had a higher percentage rate. He is to be commended because
83 percent is a very good rate. I commend the citizens of his
congressional district for having the foresight to be able to take
advantage of this great opportunity.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), who has pointed out the problems
in this program with the drug industry and all but has been a leader in
trying to fix it.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the
resolution and thank my colleague from Ohio for all eligible
beneficiaries to enroll in part D before Monday's deadline. Last night
our office did hold two enrollment workshops to help seniors in our
district navigate the Medicare Web site to choose a plan that best
suits their needs.
Large numbers could not choose a plan because of the confusion that
they had, even though they walked out with the principal versions from
our volunteers who worked the Internet.
I didn't vote for the Medicare Modernization Act, and we could have
provided seniors with a more comprehensive and less confusing benefit.
But make no mistake, I want every Medicare beneficiary to get the most
out of what benefit Congress did pass. That is the reason I support the
resolution. What I question, however, is the House Leadership's
decision to schedule this particular bill.
We could be spending time on legislation to actually fix the problems
associated with part D. We could consider legislation to reduce the
price of the drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate with the
pharmaceutical companies. That was a question my seniors had at the
workshop.
We should also consider legislation to extend an open enrollment
period and give beneficiaries a one-time chance this year to change
plans if they decide to instead of discussing ways to improving the
clearly flawed plan, which does nothing substantive for our seniors.
Also, my colleague from Connecticut talks about CMS actuaries. These
are the same actuaries I think that told us this plan was going to cost
400 billion. Now we know with the money we may spend on it we could
actually give seniors a quality plan without so much confusion.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Washington State (Mr. McDermott).
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, the Medicare prescription drug benefit
plan is doing a bad job, and it is doing a worse job of helping those
who need the help most. I was down in the lunchroom in the Longworth
Building, and one of the cashiers stopped me and said can you explain
to me how this works? She said, I figured out what it is going to cost
me to join, and I can save more money by going to Costco. My drugs will
cost less in Costco. If you added it all up, I am going to be better
off staying out of the program and buying my drugs at Costco.
Now, this program was faulty in its inception, and of the millions of
people on Medicare who still haven't signed up, 85 percent of them are
poor enough to qualify for the low income subsidy. When this bill was
in the Ways and Means Committee, we offered the opportunity to the
chairman to sign up these poor people at the beginning, automatically,
because they are low income. We know what their income is. They are not
going to get rich all of a sudden. But, no, we are going to let them
flop around out there trying to figure out this complicated program.
Now, how could we have let it happen? Well, haven't the Republicans
been telling us that the Medicare drug benefit was intended to help
those most in need, those eligible for low income subsidy?
They turned down, the author of this turned down tonight Mr. Stark's
offer to rewrite this thing and get all these people in.
But that is not what really went on here. Just encouraging people or
threatening or, as the gentleman from the Energy and Commerce Committee
says, keeping the pressure on old people is not sufficient. That is not
humane public policy. You ought to be ashamed of saying something like
that. We want to pressure.
My mother is 96 years old. I don't need you pressuring my mother on
this drug plan if she can't figure it out. Now the low income
beneficiaries are twice as likely to have health problems, mental
problems or live in a nursing home. Many have difficulty with English.
You can't just stand out here and say, hey, folks, sign up, sign up.
They can't figure out what to do.
You have made it so complicated so that they wouldn't sign up. That
is what you did. You wanted the ones who were most needy to be unable
to figure out how the plan would work so they could be left out.
Now, just to show what a warm heart you have, you slap a 7 percent
penalty on them for the rest of their life. You say to them, if you
don't sign up by the 15th of May, you can't sign up for 6 months, and
it is going to cost you 1 percent a month for every month you don't
sign up. That kind of loving treatment is, in my view, exactly what
this program does not need.
It is a mess, this is a bad resolution. We will all probably, you
know, vote
[[Page H2476]]
for it. But when you let the drug companies write the bill, it was
never meant to work for ordinary people.
The program needs time to find these people and help them.
Blindly adhering to the May 15th deadline, just five days away,
dramatically penalizes many seniors who have not signed up.
This program has been a mess from the start.
If Republicans are serious about helping seniors, we must extend the
deadline for enrolling, remove the penalties for not signing up, and
streamline the procedures, so that our most distinguished citizens can
actually understand this.
Just because Republicans let big drug companies help write the
legislation doesn't mean we are helpless to take action.
Republicans were wrong about the real cost of this program. Now they
are wrong when they say they want to help seniors.
An artificial deadline won't help seniors. A real prescription drug
benefit will.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to yield the
additional time I may control back to Mr. Brown.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I recognize myself for 1\1/
2\ minutes.
I do find it really quite remarkable that my colleagues from the
other side of the aisle, who spent literally months scaring seniors
away from signing up for this benefit, claiming it was too complex,
claiming it was this and that. I can't tell you how many seniors I had
call my office saying oh, I cannot do this, it is too hard.
Then when we show them they say, oh, it is not so hard. Fifty-four
percent of the people who signed up signed up themselves. The tools
provided made it not so hard.
Yet colleague after colleague, and I read it in the paper and I saw
it, spent their entire time and effort scaring seniors, shameful
behavior for elected officials.
Of course, now we come to the end and they want to extend the
deadline. They should have been out there the last few weeks saying
sign up, sign up. Let me tell you, I can't tell you how many we helped.
I would just like to remind you that your own bill had an earlier
deadline than the bill we are dealing with. So let us pull together,
get everybody to sign up. Then let us let the plans deliver the goods.
You who said this was complicated ought to be the first one who wants
these plans to have some time to deliver the services to the seniors
who signed up, the 90 percent, the seniors who signed up, so we can
make sure that the plans will run according to Hoyle, according to
their promises, that they will deliver, and that we can know whether
there is any fine-tuning that needs to be done before the next round of
sign-ups.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the difference may have been our
legislation was written by senior advocates while theirs was written by
the drug companies and the HMOs.
I yield 2 minutes to my friend from Maine (Mr. Allen), who has fought
to make this program work way better than the drug companies and the
insurance companies designed it to.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr.
Speaker, there is no amount of public relations spin or resolutions
which can cover up the frustration that people felt in the beginning.
People in my office, on this side of the aisle, all of us, were
trying to help people sign up because we knew that this bill would help
some of our constituents. This is one area where we agree. There are
some people who are helped by this legislation. Not surprising, we are
moving over half a trillion dollars into this program over 10 years,
billions and billions of dollars in excess funds to the pharmaceutical
companies, billions and billions of dollars in excess funds to the
insurance companies, but it is absolutely true. Seniors do get some of
it.
But the problem with this legislation is, from the beginning,
confusion, inability of people to understand the program. The
frustration has been just remarkable.
The problem here today is that the people who have not signed up for
this program are often the people who need the drug assistance the
most.
{time} 1930
They are the ones who are not signing up.
Nationally, only about 1.7 million of the 7.2 million low income
seniors are actually receiving the low income subsidies that this
legislation should provide. That is what is happening in Maine. We have
6,000 low income residents who have been in the State Pharmaceutical
Assistance Program, and, as of today, we still don't have word from CMS
that these people are eligible to receive the low income subsidy, so
they are not getting the coverage they need.
What is wrong with some additional time? Why slam the door on these
people, make them pay this Bush prescription drug tax for the rest of
their lives? Why not give them the extra time and do this program
right? That is what we ought to be doing, so the people who need the
coverage the most can get it.
One final comment: The gentlewoman from Connecticut said millions
have signed up. Many of those millions didn't sign up at all. They were
automatically enrolled.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me clarify a statement that Mr. McDermott attributed
to me about keeping the pressure on senior citizens. I did not say
that. The New York Times said that.
He said he had a 96-year-old mother who is confused. I have a 99-
year-old mother. I am sure he was like me, a good son, who helped his
mother figure out what is the plan that was best for her, and she
signed up and she is very happy with it.
He also alluded, as did the last speaker, to low income seniors who
are under a deadline. CMS has made it very clear if they are entitled
to the low income subsidy, that the deadline will not apply and they
will take care of that problem. So the problem is a nonexistent one.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of House Resolution 802,
encouraging America's seniors to take a serious look at the new
prescription drug benefit under Medicare. There is less than one week
left before the May 15 deadline, and I want to encourage all seniors to
take this hard and thoughtful look to find the program that best fits
their needs.
There are more than 37 million seniors enjoying the benefit of
prescription drug coverage, and I want to share with you some the
success stories I have heard from the great state of Georgia.
Mary and Jerry O'Brien of Cobb County sent me an e-mail highlighting
their success with Medicare part D. Mr. O'Brien wrote, ``I went to
Medicare.gov and I found a comparison of various programs. I chose one
for my wife for $70 a month which has no deductible. We had no
prescription insurance before and find Medicare part D to be very
effective. We saved enough on the first prescriptions to pay for two
months of premiums. I realize the program got off to a shaky start, but
as far as I am concerned, it is now working well.''
Mae Thacker of Kingston, Georgia, and her husband had heard the
Medicare benefit was too difficult and wouldn't save them any money.
But after learning a little about the program and enrolling, Mae was
sold on Medicare part D. She was paying $781 a month for her drugs.
Now, Mr. Speaker, with the Medicare part D plan she pays only $178 a
month, saving $600 each and every month.
Mr. Speaker, I can go on and on highlighting the success stories I
have heard from the Eleventh District, but I will just mention quickly
an additional two.
Lola Squires of Cedartown lives on a fixed income and she qualified
for the low income supplement. Last year, her monthly drug bill was
$1,016. However, when she got on Medicare part D, she is now paying,
guess what, $27 a month, saving more than $900 per month on her
medications.
Cornelia Kinnebrew of Rome was paying more than $700 a month. Now,
with the new drug plan, she pays only $37 a month, saving $600.
[[Page H2477]]
So, Mr. Speaker, America's seniors should not take my word for it,
but listen to their peers and hear what this program is doing for them.
Medicare part D is worth looking into. Take the time to call 1-800-
Medicare and find out what plan works best for you and your needs, and
do it today.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Maryland (Mr. Cardin).
(Mr. CARDIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I must tell you that I agree and have been
talking to my seniors that they need to, and I quote, ``review
carefully all the options that are available to them and determine
whether enrollment in a Medicare prescription drug plan best meets
their needs.''
I have had over 30 town hall meetings since this bill has been
enacted, and at these meetings I have had people from our Office on
Aging to help seniors go through the different options to make a
decision whether they need or they don't need to join a plan and which
plan they should join.
But, Mr. Speaker, the problem is, the information that was made
available to them when this bill was passed was wrong. The information
is extremely confusing. In my State we have 47 or 48 different plans
with deductibles that range by great numbers, and it is very difficult
for my constituents to understand this bill.
I have gotten e-mails from people in Maryland who tell me the bill is
very confusing, and they should at least be allowed more time to make a
decision. I got e-mails saying that this one constituent is going to
make a decision, but he is not sure whether it is right or wrong
because he needed more time and he doesn't have that time.
So, Mr. Speaker, yes, we want our constituents to make the right
decision, and we urge them to focus in on making the right decision,
but it is absolutely wrong that we are not extending the May 15
deadline. Our constituents need more time, and we certainly shouldn't
be imposing a lifetime penalty because a senior perhaps makes the wrong
decision in part because of our failure to get the right information to
our constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I would have hoped that we would be using the time now
to correct this bill. This bill is structurally flawed. We need to make
this a real benefit within Medicare. We need to take on the cost of
prescription drugs. We need to deal with the coordination of the
benefits with retiree benefits so that retirement plans don't terminate
retirees' prescription drug coverage. We need to do all that.
We need to cover drugs that aren't covered today. I could tell you of
a person in my district, Barbara Waters, who had her drugs for epilepsy
covered before this bill was passed, and now it is not covered because
it is under a class of drugs not covered under Medicare. We need to
correct that. There is a whole group of organizations that are urging
us to correct the bill.
So I appreciate the fact that we have a resolution on the floor
urging seniors to focus on what is in their best interests under the
law we passed, but what we should be doing is having a bill on the
floor giving our seniors more time, eliminating this penalty and then
correcting the mistakes that we made when we passed this bill.
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).
Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut
for yielding and the gentleman from Georgia for his leadership on this
issue.
I want to tell the story about Bennie and Katheryn, real people in
Vidalia, Georgia. This is a couple who was paying $2,200 a month for
their prescription drug bill. One of my staffers happened to be related
to them and heard about it, and he went over there and sat down with
them on all their drug needs and went over the website. He did not make
a recommendation, but he showed them the information and they made
their own choice. Now their total drug cost has gone from $2,200 a
month to $104 a month, a 95 percent savings.
When they saw stuff like that, they did not believe it was possible,
because they too had heard some of the rhetoric, some of the angry,
some of the bitter rhetoric that comes out of Washington, D.C., and
they thought, well, there is no way. But, in fact they are enjoying it
now, and they need that extra income just like so many other millions
of seniors do around the country.
Mr. Speaker, I heard former Secretary of Health and Human Services
Tommy Thompson say that when
Gladys starts talking to Mabel, this thing will really take hold. And,
indeed, that is the truth. My office has had 48 workshops helping
people decide which program works for them. Maybe it doesn't work for
them, because I am always quick to say, it might not be the best thing
for everybody. That is part of what a public offering is. Sometimes it
works, sometimes it doesn't. But it works for most people. It is about
a 50 percent to 60 percent savings for most people. Bennie got a 95
percent savings. Not everybody is going to get that.
But the interesting thing is that Gladys is talking to Mabel, because
my friend Gil Gutknecht always quotes Ronald Reagan in saying that
markets are more powerful than armies. In this case we have an army of
people saying this is a horrible program that should be thrown away,
thrown out; it is bad, it is wicked, it is the Republicans up to no
good.
But look at the market. In my district, with my 48 workshops, our
market penetration is about 70 percent right now. The interesting thing
is one of my colleagues who is not in favor of this bill has about the
same penetration, and he hasn't held one workshop.
That is one the ironies of it. I thought I am going to go out as a
salesperson and really wave the flag and tell everybody how great it
is. I am irrelevant. The market is more powerful than the army, the
army for it or the army against it. The market is selling this thing,
not the Republican Party, not the Democrat Party, wherever they may
stand on it at the moment.
The reality is the seniors like it, and the reality is our seniors
need it, because so many of them were having to choose between food on
their table and prescription drugs.
My mom, who takes Tamoxifen from now on for the rest of her life, and
my dad who has diabetes and their friends, they have some choices. Not
everybody is going to sign up for it, but everybody is aware that the
program is out there.
I will close with a quote from my good friend from Minnesota, who had
voted against this bill. He said he has moved from being an atheist to
an agnostic, but pretty soon he is going to be a holy roller and a
believer like everybody else, because markets are stronger than armies.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from Chicago, Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), who has been fighting in her
district to explain this bill and to improve it.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, there are times that I wonder whether my colleagues on
the other side of the aisle live in a different reality from the rest
of us. This resolution encourages senior citizens and persons with
disabilities to carefully review all the part D private plan options
before them and determine whether to purchase a policy.
We all want senior citizens and disabled people to make informed
choices, and we have been helping them, but the reality is there is no
way that the millions of beneficiaries who have not enrolled are going
to be able to do that in the next 5 days.
The Republican resolution completely ignores the complicated mess
that the Republican Congress created in part D. It ignores the fact
that current HHS Secretary Leavitt's parents, who he helped, got it
wrong and had to change plans.
It ignores the Kaiser Family Foundation report that nearly half of
all citizens don't know about the May 15 deadline or the lifetime
financial punishment they will face if they miss it, permanent higher
premiums as long as they live.
It ignores the GAO report that the Medicare hotline gave inaccurate
or inadequate information on which was the best plan to 60 percent of
the callers.
It ignores the fact that independent counselors are inundated and
unable to provide unbiased advice to sort out the dozens of private
plans available.
[[Page H2478]]
It ignores the Family USA Report that three out of four low income
seniors have not signed up.
It ignores the fact that half of the seniors who didn't have drug
coverage last year still don't have it today. That is 10 million
people.
It ignores the fact that yesterday's CNN poll said that 47 percent of
seniors said the part D program isn't working.
As hard as the Republicans may work to ignore reality, the real
reality out there for most people, it won't go away. And the pressure
should not be on older and disabled Americans to act over the next 5
days. It should be on the Republican majority to extend the deadline
and fix this mess.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
In spite of the doom and gloom, I am pleased to say to Ms. Schakowsky
that in her State of Illinois, 72 percent of her seniors feel it is a
good idea and have signed up. I think that is a good percentage.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I am confused by that. Are you saying
72 percent chose to sign up of those eligible?
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Seventy-two percent of those eligible are on the
program, yes.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. I am confused. Did they choose to sign up, or were
some forced to sign up from Medicaid?
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Surely as our ranking member on the the Health
Subcommittee, you know on dual eligibles they are signed up under the
program, as the law provides. So dual eligibles are included.
Mr. Speaker, I will reclaim my time. The gentleman has more time
remaining than I do. I will be glad to debate him on his time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Burgess).
{time} 1945
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on
Health and Chairwoman Johnson for bringing this important bill to the
floor of Congress this evening.
Mr. Speaker, we have heard some talk about how complicated the
program is and how confusing it is. I would like to just take a moment
to point out that if you have a couple of things at your disposal it is
not that confusing at all. And if you will put your prescriptions in
one hand and in the other hand your Medicare card, and then call 1-800
Medicare, the people at the other end can help you with choosing the
right prescription drug coverage for you.
Yes, there are a lot of plans. In my State of Texas, there are 20
different drug plans that have a variety of different permutations, and
36 different prescription drug options are out there.
But if you approach it from cost, coverage and convenience, look at
how much the cost is, if that is your most important driver, look at
the coverage of the medicines provided, if that is your most important
driver, or if you want to get mail order or your mom-and-pop pharmacy
down the street, if that is the most important thing, make that the
issue that becomes the top of the list, and then cost, coverage and
convenience.
You can go through with their Plan Finder tool on the Web site,
www.medicare.gov, or again 1-800 Medicare, have your prescriptions
ready so you know what you are taking and the dosage you are taking,
and they will help you with that.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Inglis of South Carolina). The gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Brown) has 4 minutes remaining, and the gentlewoman from
Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson) has \1/2\ minute remaining, and the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) has \1/2\ minute remaining.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow what Dr. Burgess says, but GAO
says 60 percent of the calls to 1-800 Medicare they have given out
wrong information, and I wish our government would get organized before
they penalize seniors for not being organized.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Madison,
Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin), who has worked hard to make this bill written
by the drug companies a better bill, a better law.
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, it has really been clear from day one that
the Medicare part D prescription drug program was planned with the best
interests of drug companies and insurance companies but not seniors in
mind.
This plan was wrongfully conceived, and then poorly implemented so
that seniors had to struggle to understand a confusing mass of plans,
prices and protocols.
As we approach the deadline by which seniors must enroll in a plan or
be faced forever more with a financial penalty, it is obvious that we
need a new prescription for progress.
Just last week, a GAO report found that the information about the
part D benefit provided by CMS through the hotline and handbooks and
their Web site was full of errors. We should not penalize seniors for a
poorly designed program which was poorly implemented.
Mr. Speaker, we must change this deadline now and allow seniors
adequate time to study their options and choose the drug plan that best
fits their needs. Instead of passing this meaningless resolution, we
should pass legislation to extend the deadline and truly help seniors.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, may I ask my friend their plans?
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I believe I have 30 seconds
remaining, and I would have the right to close. I would reserve it with
no other speakers that I intend to use.
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. I have 30 seconds remaining. I will be
the last speaker before you.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. I would like to be the next to last speaker under
the rules. So whichever of you wants to go.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson-Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my friends on the other side
are confused. First of all, they know that most of the seniors that
they speak of have been automatically enrolled through Medicaid. But
they also know that only 55 percent know that the deadline is May 15
and only 53 percent know the lifetime penalty.
Mr. Speaker, I have tried to make lemonade out of lemons. For the
last 2 months, I have had those enrollment meetings, and in those
meetings I have found the confusion and as well the 1-800 number does
not work.
Mr. Speaker, I will have a meeting on May 15, the morning of May 15.
I will open up the opportunity for seniors to enroll on the spot. But
the contractor that has been hired by HHS only has three computers for
my constituents to use, drawing on the City of Houston.
So what I say is do not waste time on this resolution that I do
support, extend the deadline and end the penalty, and do not pressure
senior citizens with frail health conditions. Do not pressure low
income seniors. This is not the opportunity to pressure seniors. This
is an opportunity to provide for the Medicare prescription of all
seniors eligible to enroll.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask, extend the deadline past May 15 and end the
lifetime penalty for our seniors. They deserve our respect and
appreciation.
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance
of my time.
Mr. Speaker, let me just correct a few facts on this record, because
for those watching this debate I want them to understand two things.
First of all, all low income seniors can continue to enroll without
penalty. That is just a fact. No low income senior has an enrollment
deadline.
Secondly, this GAO report that was referred to earlier, it actually
says that CMS's help line accurately and completely answered callers'
questions two-thirds of the time. They go on to say that CMS provided
accurate and complete responses to calls about beneficiaries'
eligibility for help 90 percent of the time.
So we have worked hard. We have done well. Seniors are signing up and
saving money.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Speaker, I would correct my friend from Connecticut. Not all low
income seniors can enroll without penalty, only some low income seniors
can enroll without penalty. I hear her bragging that two-thirds of the
time, two-
[[Page H2479]]
thirds of the time you call 1-800 Medicare you get correct information.
That means one-third of the time you do not. So we are not penalizing
the administration for not being able to get this law up and running
correctly. Nobody has lost their job over that. But we are going to
penalize seniors who have not made up their mind because of this
confusing law, because they were getting wrong information from the 1-
800 Medicare number that we talk about on the floor.
We are going to charge seniors as much as a 7 percent penalty for the
rest of their lives if they do not get this together by November.
Mr. Speaker, a Republican pharmacist in my district said to me, he
said, ``President Bush might as well have handed a blank legal pad to
the drug industry and said write this new Medicare law.''
Congress and the President wrote a confusing plan at the behest of
the HMOs and the drug companies, and then Congress and the President
are saying that seniors should have to pay a penalty, seniors in
Cincinnati and Dayton and Columbus and Toledo and Mansfield and
Chillicothe and all over my State and all over Connecticut and all over
Georgia and all over Minnesota have to pay a penalty because the drug
industry and the HMOs and those lobbyists in Washington got this
Congress to write a law like that. That hardly seems fair.
Mr. Speaker, I would just ask my friends on the other side of the
aisle, please ask President Bush to extend this deadline so seniors do
not have to pay a penalty for this very confusing new drug law.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of our
time.
Mr. Speaker, this has indeed been an interesting debate. Here we are
having people who did not vote for the bill who for 40 years controlled
this House and kept saying to seniors, we are going to provide you with
a drug benefit and never delivered.
The Republicans delivered. They did not like the bill. They still do
not like the bill. Now they say they do not want a deadline, but the
bill that they drafted had a March 1 cutoff with penalties following
that.
Ours is more generous than that. The purpose of today's debate is to
simply remind seniors, this is a voluntary program. If you want to sign
up you should do so before May 15.
The confusion, yes, there is confusion because there are a lot of
choices out there. Our friends on the other side of the aisle said this
will not work and nobody will have any choices. The truth of the matter
is, there probably are maybe too many choices, but it is better to have
choices than none at all.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, rather than bringing legislation to the
House floor that would actually help senior citizens get the
prescription drugs they need and address some of the problems that they
are having with the new drug benefit, the Republican leadership has
brought forward an ``advertisement'' in the form of a meaningless
resolution that does nothing, absolutely nothing, to make it easier for
seniors to enroll in the prescription drug plan.
Instead, they are encouraging our constituents to beat an artificial
deadline and enroll in these plans without having accurate information
to prevent them from enrolling in a plan that does not meet their
needs.
The independent Government watchdog agency, the Government
Accountability Office, recently reported that a good deal of the
information that Medicare is providing on this new drug benefit is
wrong or incomprehensible to the average beneficiary. For example,
Medicare representatives gave an incorrect answer 60 percent of the
time when they were asked to help a beneficiary find the lowest-cost
plan to enroll in.
These findings also point to larger problems. Because of inaccurate,
complicated, or confusing information, seniors have not been given a
fair shake. Why is the House not addressing these matters?
We should be here today voting on a bill to extend the May 15
deadline and helping seniors avoid an unfair and unnecessary penalty.
Instead, we have a meaningless resolution encouraging seniors to do
exactly what they have been doing, which is to evaluate their options.
I encourage that--so I will support the resolution. But we should be
doing much more to help seniors.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) that the House suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 802.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
____________________