[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1238-1239]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICARE

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I wish to comment on the recent Medicare 
bill we passed. Last year--this being February--President Bush and 
Congress made good on our promise to strengthen and expand Medicare for 
today's seniors and individuals with disabilities. The bill, called the 
Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, does represent the most significant 
improvement to Medicare in two generations.
  The reason I wish to comment on it today is that as a product of the 
debate and passage of this legislation, we are starting to see, even 
right now, impressive results.
  Very simply, we said the program would give seniors better health 
care at lower out-of-pocket cost and give seniors and individuals with 
disabilities more choices. That is exactly what the bill is doing.
  We said the bill would strengthen the program and increase 
flexibility and choice, and, indeed, that is exactly what is happening.
  Dozens of Medicare, managed care companies just recently announced--
about 10 days ago--that in 3 short weeks, they are going to increase 
benefits, enhance benefits; that they are going to reduce or even 
eliminate premiums altogether; and that they are going to expand their 
service areas. They tell us they are doing all of this as a direct 
result of this Medicare bill.
  For example, Aetna plans to cut its Medicare+Choice premiums by up to 
50 percent to seniors. The action by Aetna will reduce inpatient care 
fees and physician copayments.
  In New York City, Oxford Health Plans is boosting its annual limit on 
brand-name drug coverage from $250 and $500 up to $1,200. That is more 
coverage.
  Colorado's three Medicare HMOs, meanwhile, will drop monthly 
insurance premiums by as much as 50 percent. That is less out-of-pocket 
costs for seniors.
  Colorado's PacifiCare, for example, will offer prescription drug 
coverage to seniors who didn't have it before. That is new coverage, 
better health care, and then they will add brand-name coverage to many 
policies.
  In Miami, FL, Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans to double its coverage for 
brand-name drugs. In Broward County, it will add brand-name coverage to 
its current generic-only plan, and it will drop its monthly premium 
altogether: Better coverage, lower out-of-pocket expenditures.
  When it comes to more comprehensive coverage care, seniors in Tampa 
with private plans can expect to get new benefits, such as free dental 
care and reimbursement for transportation to the doctor.
  I mention all this because it is only the beginning. Nationally, 5 
million seniors with HMO coverage are expected to enjoy better 
benefits, lower out-of-pocket costs, and expanded options. And this 
will only grow with time. This is only the beginning.
  Not only are these improvements on the way but also we have the 
prescription discount card that will be available in just a very few 
months, in June. This spring, seniors will be able to use these new 
discount cards to get discounts of 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent, 
or 25 percent off their prescription drugs.
  For seniors living around the poverty level or up to 135 percent of 
the poverty level, they will get, in addition to the prescription drug 
card, an additional $600 in coverage to help pay these drug bills. That 
is on top of the discount. This is immediate help. This is immediate 
help to those who need it the most.
  Already, private companies have submitted more than 100 applications 
to be

[[Page 1239]]

able to participate in the discount drug card process. Immediate relief 
from high medication costs is only months away.
  I mention this because we hear a lot of the opponents to the bill 
grumble. Even in the various elections and campaigns going on across 
the country, we look at what appear to be attempts of very partisan 
politics trying to gain political points in an election year. I wanted 
to mention this real progress that is already being made because it 
shows that at least the concept of the approach of a public/private 
partnership--which is what this Medicare law is all about--is beginning 
to work, where we take the very best of the public sector and marry it 
to the very best of the private sector.
  Older Americans who are happy with their immediate care coverage do 
not need to do anything. They can keep exactly what they have today. In 
the bill, those who need it the most are going to get the most help. 
Lower income seniors, people at the lowest income brackets, and 
individuals with disabilities will pay almost nothing for their 
prescription drug coverage. Seniors who have very high catastrophic 
costs, costs that for the most part they did not expect, will no longer 
have to go bankrupt to get those prescription drugs, the most powerful 
tool in American medicine today.
  Millions of seniors with no current coverage will see their 
prescription drug costs reduced, on average, by about 50 percent. So we 
see better health care and lower out-of-pocket costs for seniors who 
are listening to me at this juncture, and they will see more choices of 
coverage that better suit their individual needs.
  Yes, the Medicare Modernization Act is expanding these choices and 
opportunities to obtain quality health care. This bill includes 
preventive care in a substantive way for the first time in the history 
of Medicare. For the first time ever in Medicare, we are offering 
disease management for chronic illnesses such as Parkinson's and 
Alzheimer's disease. It also takes a number of steps to improve the 
overall quality of care available to seniors.
  We do need to continue to educate both ourselves and the American 
people about the progress that is being made to date. We will continue 
to work with organizations such as AARP and organizations of nurses, 
doctors, hospitals, and patients to really get the news out as this 
program unfolds. We will make sure that every senior who is entitled to 
these new drug discounts I mentioned, and who have the availability of 
that improved access, find out about it so that they indeed can take 
advantage of these improvements.
  From time to time, I will come to the floor to comment on the 
progress that is being made as this program unfolds.
  I yield the floor.

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