[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10470]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        $250 CHECKS FOR SENIORS

  (Mrs. DAHLKEMPER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. DAHLKEMPER. Mr. Speaker, today, checks will go in the mail to 
189,000 seniors across Pennsylvania, including thousands in my district 
in Western Pennsylvania. This will help them pay for prescription 
drugs. These $250 checks are on the way to seniors who fell victim to 
the prescription drug donut hole in Medicare. The $250 checks are just 
the first step in reducing prescription drug prices for seniors under 
the new health care reform. Next year, seniors in the donut hole will 
get a 50 percent discount on name-brand prescription drugs and a 75 
percent discount on generics. The average Pennsylvania senior will save 
$700 next year on prescription drugs because of the health care reform 
bill. This is a down payment on reducing prescription drug costs for 
seniors and eventually closing the donut hole altogether. I am proud 
that our health care reform legislation is helping seniors during this 
difficult time.

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