[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22494]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS

 Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, more than at any other time in 
my career we are a nation that is unified. We are a nation that, 
recognizing a common goal, is rallying with a knowledge that we will 
achieve a remarkdable thing. It is extraordinary to witness.
  One of the things that has always made this nation great, is that 
when we witness that which is extraordinary, we try to emulate it. You 
see it one thousand times a day, from the magnitude of contributions 
that have flooded to relieve every heroic firefighter's family, to the 
full sized flags flying from the back of Topeka pickup trucks, to the 
once rare act offering a smile and a bid of good morning to a stranger 
on the street.
  And these acts of unity have not been the lot of individuals alone, 
nor have they been reserved to a response to the tragedy of September 
11. It is one of these acts of unity--one of these recognitions of a 
common goal--that brings me to the floor today.
  Last week the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced their 
new CareCard drug discount program to aid the needy elderly who lack 
prescription drug coverage. This new program will translate to a 
savings of 30 to 40 percent off of retail pharmaceutical prices for the 
seniors with the greatest need. For this remarkable thing, Novartis 
deserves our thanks.
  Over the past several years, the issue of the increasing cost of 
prescription drugs for seniors has remained a dominant story. Nearly 
every American has read of seniors forced to chose between the food to 
sustain them, the rent to shelter them or the medicine to keep them 
well. Because our antiquated Medicare system includes only very limited 
prescription drug coverage, the neediest senior have to figure out a 
way to pay for their medication.
  In the absence of Congressional action to fundamentally reform and 
modernized the Medicare system in a way that would include prescription 
drug coverage, companies, like Novartis, have acted. In the case of the 
CareCard program. Novartis is offering seniors age 65 or older, with an 
annual income of less than 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level who 
do not currently have prescription drug coverage substantial discounts 
on their products. This program could translate to $10 million 
Americans who may now be able to afford the medicine they need.
  All of this said, Mr. President, that we congratulate Novartis for 
stepping up and making these discounts available to seniors, should not 
serve as an excuse for Congress to continue not to act. That Novartis 
has done the right thing, is not reason for us to do nothing. Medicare 
is a 36 year old program that has not kept up with our health care 
economy. We must modernize Medicare. We must reform Medicare. We must 
make prescription drug coverage available for all seniors; and we must 
act soon.




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