[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 1674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, let me mention one other subject while I 
am up, and that has to do with the comments of the distinguished 
Senator from Oregon about Medicare prescription drugs and the success 
of the Part D Medicare prescription drug program. I don't know of many 
governmental programs that have met with more success than this 
prescription drug program, in terms of the acceptance of America's 
seniors and the way it has allowed them to get access to prescription 
drugs at a reasonable cost that they were never able to access before. 
But I do have grave concerns about those who would attempt to basically 
interfere with that successful program by imposing Federal controls on 
the price for which these pharmaceuticals may be charged under the 
guise of some negotiation. When the Federal Government negotiates with 
a private entity, there is no real negotiation; it is a take-it-or-
leave-it proposition.
  I pose as exhibit A to support that the current VA health care 
system, which is held out as a model by which this kind of negotiation 
could go forward. The fact is, the VA system is pointed to as a model 
by which this Government negotiation could occur, and today that system 
does not supply nearly the variety of pharmaceuticals to its 
beneficiaries the Medicare system does.
  I have read in various places that the number ranges from 19 
percent--I have heard as high as 30 percent--of the drugs that are 
available to Medicare beneficiaries are available to veterans under the 
VA system because of this feature. So when you impose price controls, 
which is what is being advocated by those who want to change the 
current successful system of Medicare prescription drugs, basically, 
what we are going to find is a rationing effect. I would think that 
would be the last thing any of us would want to do--to ration the 
prescription drugs available to our seniors under the enormously 
successful Medicare Part D reform we passed in 2003.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan is recognized.

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