[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                MEDICARE PART D AND THE LATINO COMMUNITY

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the Medicare part D 
plan, as written, in my opinion is bad for Latino seniors. Latinos are 
less likely to have worked at firms with employer-provided pension 
plans, tend to work at a lower-paying job resulting in less accumulated 
savings and smaller Social Security checks. And 62 percent have incomes 
below 150 percent of the Federal poverty level.
  Yet more than 1 million Latino seniors have not yet even enrolled in 
this program because of cultural, language and economic barriers. That 
is more than 30 percent of all eligible Latino seniors who lack 
coverage.
  The lack of detailed, easy-to-understand culturally competent 
information makes it even more difficult for community organizations to 
focus resources on this vulnerable population. Our Latino seniors and 
all seniors need our help.
  I urge my colleagues to pass legislation to extend the enrollment 
deadline, take away the fear of penalty, and give Medicare 
beneficiaries more time to check their facts, know their options, and 
make informed decisions about part D.

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