[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10702]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT FOR ALL SENIORS

  (Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, for months now, as I have gone home, I have 
listened to my seniors. They continue to talk about the high cost of 
drugs. About 6 months ago, I began to receive early-morning phone calls 
from my 77-year-old dad. That is when I know things have really gotten 
out of hand.
  He continues to tell me that every place he goes, to the senior 
center, to the little food banks that he goes to to help out and 
volunteer, et cetera, that everybody is out of food and, worse, they 
are paying all their money for drugs, for prescription medication that 
they need. Every week he tells me a new story about somebody that he 
knows and how they have to choose between their rent or their doctors' 
visits or their prescription drugs, and how some people are taking 
their dose of drugs and halving them or taking one quarter of what they 
are supposed to take in order to make it last for the month.
  Many seniors on fixed incomes have been forced to cut back on basic 
needs and others have chosen to travel to other countries because the 
prices are lower. It is shameful that we have not done something about 
this, and we must work together to do it right. We must do it for all 
of our seniors.

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