[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20717]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         PRESCRIPTION DRUG BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Mascara) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. MASCARA. Mr. Speaker, my wife Dolores and I have spoken on many 
occasions about the need to pass a prescription drug bill.
  Some of our friends back in southwest Pennsylvania are affected by 
the lack of coverage. I come to the floor to express my deep concern 
regarding the continued lack of prescription drug coverage for many of 
our Nation's seniors.
  I recently received a letter from a constituent who worked his entire 
life in a blue collar job. He retired on a small nest egg and his 
monthly Social Security check. Although his health is relatively good, 
he still spends over 40 percent of his income on health care costs, 
including a monthly prescription drug bill that is over $400 a month. 
Unfortunately, he does not have prescription drug insurance and every 
month he is forced to cut back on food and medicine.
  I assure my colleagues he is not alone. The AARP estimates that the 
average out-of-pocket prescription cost for seniors is $349 per month. 
Of the nearly 40 million people on Medicare, one-third have no 
prescription drug coverage and 20 percent have coverage that does not 
last the full year.
  In other words, millions of seniors are suffering in ways that are 
morally wrong, especially for such a wealthy and caring Nation.
  How can we turn our backs on our seniors?
  To paraphrase the late Senator Hubert Humphrey, the true moral test 
of a government is how it treats those that are in the dawn of life, 
our children, those who are in the twilight of life, our elderly, and 
those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the disabled, and the 
less fortunate.
  The elderly and the sick and the disabled should not have to make the 
terrible choice between food and medicine.
  In that vein, last year I introduced H. Con. Res. 152, which called 
upon Congress to pass meaningful legislation that would give all 
seniors prescription drug coverage.
  I am sure my colleagues here in the House are aware of the enormity 
of this issue. I am sure they know that upwards of 13 million seniors 
in this Nation are without any kind of prescription drug benefit and 
that over one-third of those currently on Medicare have no outpatient 
drug benefit.
  Seniors are asking for a real drug benefit package. We need a 
reordering of priorities. During a period in our history when we are 
experiencing unprecedented budget surpluses, we need to include a 
prescription drug plan that will cover all seniors and it should be 
through the Medicare program, not through HMOs or private insurance 
companies who have failed miserably in the delivery of health care in 
this country.
  So let us get together, let us work together and pass a piece of 
legislation that will help our seniors.

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