[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 168 (Wednesday, October 23, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MEDICARE LOW-INCOME LEGISLATION

  (Mr. DELGADO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DELGADO. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of seniors in 
upstate New York.
  This August, I joined a forum with AARP in New Paltz on the need to 
address the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs in our communities. 
I heard harrowing stories from seniors, many of whom are on fixed 
income, who have seen the medication they rely on triple in price.
  The system is working against our seniors. Right now, qualified 
covered retirement accounts are included in determining income and 
eligibility under the Medicare part D low-income subsidy program, and 
this means seniors must choose between saving for retirement and 
lifesaving medication.
  Saving for retirement shouldn't jeopardize how low-income subsidies 
for Medicare part D beneficiaries are distributed. That is why I joined 
my colleagues in introducing H.R. 4655, the Enhancing Retirement 
Security for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2019, to remove retirement 
accounts from that determination and lower out-of-pocket costs for our 
seniors.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4655.

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