[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[September 25, 2000]
[Pages 1943-1945]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Letter to Congressional Leaders on the ``Medicine Equity and Drug Safety
Act of 2000''
September 25, 2000
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Leader:)
In your letter, you outlined a number of health care issues that you
indicated could be resolved before Congress adjourns. I want to be
equally clear about my priorities and hopes for progress this fall. As
the days dwindle in this session of Congress, I am seriously concerned
about the lack of movement on some of our most important issues. I am,
however, encouraged to learn from your letter that the Republican
leadership is now committed to providing Americans with access to
prescription drugs available at lower cost from other countries.
As you know, our people are growing more and more concerned that the
pharmaceutical industry often sells the same drugs for a much higher
price in the United States than it does in other countries, even when
those drugs are manufactured here at home. This forces some of our most
vulnerable citizens, including seniors and people with disabilities, to
pay the highest prices for prescription drugs in the world. This is
simply unacceptable.
That is why I support the ``Medicine Equity and Drug Safety Act of
2000,'' which the Senate passed by an overwhelming vote of 74 to 21.
This important legislation would give Americans access to quality
medications at the lower prices paid by citizens in other nations. The
Senate bill, sponsored by Senators Jeffords, Wellstone, Dorgan and others, would allow wholesalers and pharmacists to
import FDA-approved prescription drugs and would establish a new safety
system intended to track these imports and test them for authenticity
and degradation. Before this provision could take effect, the Secretary
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of Health and Human Services would be required to certify that the
regulations would, first, pose no risk to the public health; and,
second, significantly decrease prices paid by consumers.
With these protections in place and the $23 million necessary to
implement them, this legislation would meet the test that we both
believe is crucial--preserving the safety of America's drug supply.
Although your letter implies support for legislation similar to the
Senate-passed bill, I am concerned by its statement that seniors would
``buy lower-priced drugs in countries like Canada'' [emphasis added]. Of
course, few seniors live near the Canadian or Mexican borders and even
fewer can afford to cross the border in search of lower-price drugs.
Moreover, policies like the House's Coburn amendment would strip the FDA
of all of its ability to monitor safety and prevent seniors from buying
counterfeit drugs, putting their health in danger and their finances at
risk.
I urge you to send me the Senate legislation--with full funding--to
let wholesalers and pharmacists bring affordable prescription drugs to
the neighborhoods where our seniors live. Though this initiative does
not address seniors' most important need--meaningful insurance to cover
the costs of expensive medications--it still has real potential to allow
consumers to access prescription drug discounts.
I remain concerned that with less than one week left in this fiscal
year, Congress has not passed eleven of thirteen appropriations bills;
Congress has not raised the minimum wage; and Congress has not passed a
strong, enforceable patients' bill of rights. And, according to your
letter, the congressional leadership has given up on passing a
meaningful, affordable and optional Medicare prescription-drug benefit.
I am extremely disappointed by your determination that it is
impossible to pass a voluntary Medicare prescription-drug benefit this
year. I simply disagree. There is indeed time to act, and I urge you to
use the final weeks of this Congress to get this important work done. It
is the only way we can ensure rapid, substantial and much-needed relief
from prescription drug costs for all seniors and people with
disabilities, including low-income beneficiaries.
On the issue of the Medicare lock-box, I have endorsed the Vice
President's initiative, which has been
effectively embodied in Senator Conrad's
amendment that passed on the Labor-Health and Human Services
appropriations bill. I am therefore encouraged by your commitment to
passing this legislation; but we must still make all efforts to ensure
that the Medicare payroll taxes in the lockbox are used solely for
Medicare.
Similarly, I am pleased to learn of your commitment to pass a
greatly-needed package of Medicare and Medicaid health care provider
payment and beneficiary refinements. As you know, I proposed such
refinements in my budget and in my June Mid-Session Review. This
includes payment increases for hospitals, home health agencies, nursing
homes and other providers as well as access to Medicaid for legal
immigrants, certain uninsured women with breast cancer, and children
with disabilities; extended Medicare coverage for people with
disabilities; an extension of the Balanced Budget Act's diabetes
provisions; and full funding for the Ricky Ray Trust Fund.
Again, I am pleased to learn of your commitment to providing
Americans with access to high-quality, lower cost prescription drugs
from other nations. There is no reason why we cannot work together to
pass and enact such legislation immediately. As we do, we should not
give up on passing both a workable, affordable and voluntary Medicare
prescription-drug benefit for our nation's seniors and a meaningful
patients' bill of rights for all Americans. I will do everything in my
power to achieve that end, and I look forward to meeting with you on
these issues as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
William J. Clinton
Note: Letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of
Representatives; Richard A. Gephardt, House minority leader; and Thomas
A. Daschle, Senate minority leader. An original was not available for
verification of the content of this letter.
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