[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPORT REPUBLICAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

  (Mr. SULLIVAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, seniors in the first district of Oklahoma 
and across America cannot afford the rising cost of prescription drugs. 
In order to live within their budget, some skip a meal, some turn off 
their air-conditioning, and some consume half the prescriptions that 
they need.
  Without a doubt, I believe the Republican prescription drug plan is 
the only plan that will give our seniors prescription drug coverage 
they need at a cost that the Nation's budget can afford.
  The Republican prescription drug plan provides a two-tiered approach 
that allows seniors to start saving on their prescription drug bills 
immediately. By grouping seniors together, Medicare can negotiate 
discounts from manufacturers. This is projected to save seniors about 
10 to 20 percent upon the signature of the President.
  The second part of the plan will come as a comprehensive and 
voluntary Medicare-based prescription drug benefit. The Republican plan 
will significantly reduce the costs of prescriptions and save seniors 
approximately 70 percent of their out-of-pocket drug costs.
  The House Republican prescription drug plan will work for seniors 
today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives. I urge my colleagues 
to support this bill.

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