[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 11 (Friday, January 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E153-E154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICE NEGOTIATION ACT OF 2007

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                               speech of

                            HON. TODD TIAHRT

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 12, 2007

  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support for our 
Nation's seniors. In 2003 this body passed historic legislation that 
provided America's senior citizens with a true prescription drug 
benefit under Medicare Part D. I was pleased to vote for this bill. 
Since enactment, this program has been extremely successful. More than 
38 million Medicare beneficiaries now have drug coverage, either 
through Medicare or another source. This represents about 90 percent of 
all Medicare beneficiaries.
  We have been able to provide seniors with low cost, life saving 
medicines. In fact, the program has been so successful in encouraging 
private sectors to compete for enrollment, that the cost to seniors is 
much lower than anticipated. In fact, seniors are saving, on average, 
$1,200 a year on prescription drugs. And the Centers for Medicare and 
Medicaid (CMS) reports that prices are continuing to decrease, due to 
this competition in the private sector. The `bids' by the prescription 
drug plans are 10 percent lower, on average, in 2007 than 2006. At the 
same time, Part D recipients saw a 13 percent increase in the number of 
medications available.
  I strongly support the Republican motion to recommit which will 
ensure that the progress of the past several years continues. I will 
vote for the proposal to assure continued access to covered Part D 
drugs and pharmacy networks,

[[Page E154]]

and to protect against increasing drug prices for veterans.
  I cannot support H.R. 4 for one important reason: it will limit 
access to prescription drugs for senior citizens. The Washington Post 
shares these concerns, ``A switch to government purchasing of Medicare 
drugs would choke off this experiment before it had a chance to play 
out, and it would usher in its own problems.''
  The Democrats want you to believe that this legislation will not 
limit the number of drugs available on a Medicare Prescription Drug 
Plan's formulary. They point to programs like the Veterans 
Administration and Medicaid to assure the public that access to drugs 
won't be limited. But the truth is that both the VA and Medicaid 
programs restrict patients' choice of drugs. Veterans have access to 
less than one-third of the prescription drugs available under Medicare 
Part D plans. State Medicaid programs also routinely limit the number 
and types of drugs that patients can receive.
  In addition, and of particular concern to my constituents, the VA 
distributes 70 percent of its medications by mail. Seniors deserve the 
right to speak to their local pharmacist about their prescriptions, and 
not having that opportunity is a potential health risk. In contrast, 
the current Part D plan uses mail for less than 2 percent of its 
medications. We should not alter this important program.
  As Leslie Norwalk, the Acting Administrator for CMS said, ``The 
bottom line from the news today is that beneficiaries are paying less 
in premiums and taxpayers are seeing billions of dollars in lower 
costs, without the need for government to interfere and reduce access 
or convenience for beneficiaries.'' As in many areas, the best thing 
the government can do is to step back and allow the current trend to 
work. Government interference would risk the value of this important 
benefit to our seniors. I encourage my colleagues to join me in 
standing up for low cost and full access to prescription drugs for 
senior citizens and vote against H.R. 4.

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