[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 28271]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CONGRESS SHOULD STAY IN SESSION UNTIL IT EXTENDS ENROLLMENT PERIOD FOR 
                         PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

  (Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, this House should not adjourn for the 
year before we extend the enrollment period for seniors to sign up for 
the Republican Medicare prescription drug plan. I did not support the 
law, because I favored a benefit within the actual Medicare program. 
Instead, Republicans chose a plan that forced seniors to choose from 
multiple plans.
  President Bush and congressional Republicans say it is necessary to 
have multiple drug plans competing in order to help drive down costs, 
but a report from the Government Reform Committee says the complicated 
drug benefit has failed to lower drug prices. The prices available to 
seniors are over 80 percent higher than those negotiated by the Federal 
Government for veterans and 60 percent higher than the prices available 
to consumers in Canada.
  Instead of lowering drug prices, the new prescription drug plan has 
resulted in mass confusion for seniors. Seniors should have the time to 
make the best choice for themselves rather than be penalized if they do 
not make a decision by May 15.
  We should extend the deadline by 6 months before we leave for the 
year and support the Stark-Schakowsky bill, H.R. 3861.

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