[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11060]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           MEDICARE-APPROVED PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISCOUNT CARDS

  (Mr. BEAUPREZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. BEAUPREZ. Mr. Speaker, today is a good day for America's senior 
citizens, as the Medicare-approved prescription drug discount cards hit 
the streets across the country.
  From this day forward, seniors will no longer have to pay full retail 
price for their life-saving drugs.
  Unfortunately, some of our friends on the other side of the aisle 
have mounted a misinformation campaign to scare and confuse America's 
seniors for their own political agenda. They say that prescription drug 
cards are too confusing and that they will not work.
  Well, seniors have already decided that discount cards will work. The 
verdict is in, and these new discount cards will save seniors hundreds, 
if not thousands, of dollars.
  For example, at current discount drug prices, my mother in 
Louisville, Colorado, will save just under $400 on her prescription 
drugs and my father over $900. That is about $1,300 a year for my own 
parents. Those are real savings, money they can take to the bank, give 
to the grandkids or pay their own rent.
  I encourage seniors to take advantage of this program to begin 
realizing these savings. Call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov.

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