[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16229]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, the current Medicare debate 
highlights the need for fundamental changes in the way that health care 
is provided in the United States. The Medicare prescription drug bill 
currently before the House fails to address any of the fundamental 
problems in our health care system.
  The need for affordable prescription drugs for our Nation's seniors 
is one component of the health care reform needed in the United States. 
And just like last year, this House will pass a Medicare prescription 
drug bill that fails millions of Americans. The current plan will 
perpetuate the inequalities in health care suffered by poor and rural 
Americans, as this plan hurts both groups.
  Seniors with incomes between 135 and 150 percent of the Federal 
poverty level will pay the same deductible and copays as someone with 
an income 300, 500, or 1,000 percent of the poverty level. The only 
relief is a sliding scale premium. Those with incomes 150 to 200 
percent of poverty will receive no relief at all.
  Rural Americans have already faced severe restrictions in their 
choice of providers. And in 2003, only 19 percent of rural Medicare 
beneficiaries have the option of enrolling in a Medicare managed care 
plan.

                              {time}  2130

  These seniors are likely to face similar restrictions in the choice 
of prescription drug plans, without a fall-back prescription plan 
through Medicare. This discrimination against certain seniors is 
intolerable. Not only does the current plan restrict access to drugs, 
but it also could limit what drugs seniors can take. In 2002, 55 
percent of all Medicare private plans covered only generic drugs, 
provided no coverage for brand names. This means that those who must 
take a specific brand-name medication for which no generic form exists 
or need a new, more effective drug cannot obtain them. The answer is 
not to provide more private prescription drug plans.
  The current Medicare prescription drug bill only perpetuates the 
failures of our health system. The solution to the current crisis lies 
in a prescription drug benefit that helps to contain prescription drug 
costs, provides better access to generic drugs, and is built into 
Medicare. Absent a comprehensive solution that provides medical and 
prescription drug coverage for all Americans, there is no excuse for 
restricting the access of our Nation's seniors to prescription drug 
coverage. Our seniors need a comprehensive standard benefit for all. We 
cannot afford to further privatize Medicare, offer different plans to 
different people, and threaten the program that has provided health 
care for over 39 million people.
  Our Nation's seniors need a uniform, comprehensive plan. Absent a 
comprehensive solution that provides medical and prescription drug 
coverage for all Americans, there is no excuse to do anything less. The 
solution to the current crisis lies in a plan that helps to contain 
prescription drug costs, provide better access to generic drugs, and is 
built into Medicare.
  Just as hospital and physician coverage is assured by Medicare and 
includes a standard benefit for all seniors, so must prescription drug 
coverage. In the complex world of medical insurance, it is crucial for 
us to provide reliable coverage under one plan to reduce confusion on 
the part of Medicare beneficiaries. We cannot afford to further 
privatize Medicare, turning it only into a health voucher program by 
the end of the decade, and threatens the program which has provided 
health care for over 39 million Americans. Let us be real and have a 
real prescription drug program for our seniors.

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