[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10842]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT

  (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a prescription 
drug benefit under Medicare. I represent the fastest-growing community 
in the United States, the fastest-growing senior population. Every 
weekend I go home, and every weekend I hear story after story from my 
seniors who simply cannot afford the prescription medication that their 
doctors have prescribed.
  For so many of these older Americans, Medicare is the only health 
insurance that they have. It does not make sense to deny them a benefit 
for prescription drugs. Prescription medication is the least expensive, 
most cost-effective way of dealing with illness. Seniors are demanding 
relief now, and we ought to give it to them.
  Older Americans need a Medicare prescription drug benefit that is 
comprehensive, guaranteed, and affordable. Every senior should have 
access, no matter where they live or what their income.
  Let us pass a prescription drug benefit that will work for all the 
American people and ensure that our Nation's seniors will have the 
medications they need to keep them healthy, active, and vital. In the 
long run, a prescription medication benefit will not only save the 
lives of millions of older Americans, it will save billions of 
taxpayers' dollars.

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