[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18712]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRESS SHOULD HELP SENIORS OUT BY FILLING THE DOUGHNUT HOLE THAT 
                        MILLIONS OF SENIORS FACE

  (Mr. RUPPERSBERGER asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, this Friday, September 22, the 
average American senior will lose his or her prescription drug coverage 
that was promised by the majority.
  This is the same confusing and complicated drug plan the majority 
created through the private sector rather than through the Federal 
Government's Medicare program.
  Millions of seniors have already lost their coverage, but in the 
coming days, those numbers will climb as more seniors are expected to 
be denied their coverage when they hit the $2,250 mark. How can this 
be? How can the majority create a plan where seniors are still forced 
to pay monthly premiums but are denied coverage?
  How can a majority create a law that is supposed to help seniors and 
then not allow the government to negotiate to bring down drug prices? 
We must give the Federal Government the ability to negotiate on behalf 
of seniors so that we can bring down drug prices and eliminate the 
doughnut hole so no senior loses their drug coverage.
  It is time we take our country in a new direction.

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