[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 20, 2004, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk briefly this morning about 
what is happening with Medicare. We are approaching a time when seniors 
will have an option for the transitional card that allows them to have 
immediate help with their prescription drug benefits.
  At CMS they are working right now on a plan where seniors will be 
able to call in, talk about the drugs that they personally are taking, 
and for that 18 months or so of transition receive the help that they 
initially can get as we are putting this first major change since 1965 
of Medicare into place.
  Seniors across the country have been waiting for too long for 
Medicare to cover life-saving prescription drugs, not the fault of this 
House which for three Congresses now has tried to solve this problem 
and has voted to solve this problem.
  In 1965, when President Johnson signed Medicare into law, 
prescription drugs were not a big part of health care. In 2003, 
President Bush understood that they had become a big part of health 
care. The Congress understood that as well, and we have strengthened 
that program for millions of seniors to be able to rely on new coverage 
in the future.

                              {time}  0930

  For the first time in Medicare's history, a prescription drug benefit 
will be offered to all 40 million seniors and disabled Americans to 
help them afford the cost of their medicines. No senior has to take 
this benefit, no senior has to make a choice about changing their 
Medicare if they do not want to, but this offer is available to all 
seniors and, again, available to all who have Medicare coverage because 
of a disability.
  Americans of all ages can benefit from the creation of health savings 
accounts, which will give individuals more control over the cost of 
their health care and access to affordable, flexible coverage; and for 
the 888,126 beneficiaries in my State of Missouri who will have access 
to a Medicare prescription drug benefit for the first time in history, 
help is on the way.
  In fact, 214,754 Missouri seniors will have drug coverage they 
otherwise would not have, and almost 270,000 beneficiaries in Missouri 
who have limited savings and low incomes, generally low income in that 
case would be for individuals with income below $12,123 a year or for 
couples with income below $16,232 a year, those individuals have even 
more benefits.
  Initially, they get the card for free. They get $600 of credit toward 
their drug bill on the card that they will receive this year and 
another $600 next year. They will pay no premium when it comes time for 
the prescription drug coverage, if they opt to take that coverage; and 
they will be responsible only for a very small copayment, no more than 
$2 for generic drugs, $5 for brand-name drugs.
  For people who have been struggling to pay for the drugs that their 
doctors told them they needed for their own health, this makes a huge 
difference in their ability now to have the kind of health care that 
they deserve, the kind of health care that is available, the kind of 
health care that will be covered under Medicare.
  Mr. Speaker, all these numbers add up to savings. They add up to 
access to life-saving drugs. They add up to better health care for 
seniors of this country. This is a huge and important change.
  I am pleased that this House could be part of it, that our friends on 
the other side of the building would join us and that the President 
signed this important legislation into law.

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