    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [June 16, 2005]
    [Pages 1002-1006]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Implementing the Medicare Modernization Act
    June 16, 2005

        Thank you very much. Please be seated--unless you don't have a seat.
    [Laughter] Thanks for coming. It's glad--I'm glad to be back to the
    Department of Health and Human Services. The last time I visited here
    was to witness Secretary Leavitt's
    swearing in. I said I'd be coming back to check up on him. [Laughter]
    I'm back. [Laughter] He's doing a fine job; really appreciate your
    leadership.
        I'm grateful to the men and women of this Department for their
    compassion and service. Thanks for serving our country. I want to thank
    you all for helping us launch a vital effort to bring greater peace of
    mind to America's seniors and people with disabilities. Over the next 11
    months, we will spread important news to everyone receiving Medicare.
    This great and trusted program is about to become even better. Starting
    this November, every American on Medicare can sign up to get help paying
    for their prescription drugs.
        I appreciate Mike Leavitt's
    understanding of how important it is to spread the news. I also want to
    thank my friend Mark McClellan for doing
    such a fine job at the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services. I want
    to thank you all who work there with him. You've got an important job
    now. We've passed good law. Now it's important for people to get the
    news.
        I want to thank members of my Cabinet who are here who are going to
    help spread the news to their Departments, Secretary Elaine Chao, Secretary Alphonso Jackson, Secretary Norm Mineta,
    Secretary Jim Nicholson. Thank you all
    for coming, as well as Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart of the Social Security Administration. Welcome. Thank you
    all for being here.
        I appreciate so very much all the other administration officials who
    are here. I want to thank an old family friend of ours, Dr. Louis
    Sullivan, former Secretary of HHS, for
    joining us. Louis, I was looking at that picture up there--[laughter]--
    looks like him. [Laughter] Tell me who the painter was--I'd like one to
    look like me one of these days. [Laughter]
        I want to thank Senator Craig Thomas
    from Wyoming for joining us. Thank you for being here, Senator. I also
    want to thank former Senator John Breaux for
    joining us. I can remember John was one of the leaders in the United
    States Senate in trying to bring people together to reform Medicare. I
    want to thank you for your help on this. I want to thank you for being
    here. I particularly want to thank the leaders and representatives of
    the health care, faith-based and community organizations who are all
    going to help spread the word to our seniors about what is available. I
    appreciate you being here. I want to thank you for your compassion and
    your care for America's seniors.
        I also want to welcome the Medicare beneficiaries who are here in
    attendance.

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    Listen carefully, I think you're going to like what you hear.
        Forty years ago--think about that, 40 years ago this summer,
    President Lyndon Baines Johnson, from the great State of Texas--
    [laughter]--signed a law creating Medicare to guarantee health care for
    seniors and Americans with disabilities. In the decades since that
    historic act, Medicare has spared millions of our citizens from needless
    suffering and hardship. Medicare is a landmark achievement of a
    compassionate society. It is a basic trust that our Government will
    always honor.
        Medicare has also faced challenges. For decades, medicine advanced
    rapidly and grew to include innovations like prescription drugs, but
    Medicare didn't keep pace. As a result, Medicare recipients were left
    with a program based on the medicine of the 1960s. For example, Medicare
    would pay $28,000 for ulcer surgery but not $500 for the prescription
    drugs that eliminate the cause of most ulcers. Medicare would pay more
    than $100,000 to treat the effects of a stroke but not $1,000 for blood-
    thinning drugs that could prevent strokes. That's an outdated system,
    and it made no sense for American seniors. It made no sense for
    Americans with disabilities, and it made no sense for American
    taxpayers.
        Year after year, politicians pledged to reform Medicare, but the job
    never got done until 2003, when members of both political parties came
    together to deliver the greatest advance in health care for seniors
    since the founding of Medicare. This new law is bringing preventive
    medicine, better health care choices, and prescription drugs to every
    American receiving Medicare. The Medicare Modernization Act renewed the
    promise of Medicare for the 21st century, and I was honored and proud to
    sign that piece of legislation.
        Over the past year, millions of Americans have started to benefit
    from the new Medicare program. Every senior entering Medicare is now
    eligible for a ``Welcome to Medicare'' physical. It's a fundamental
    improvement, and it makes a lot of sense. Medicare patients and doctors
    are now able to work together to diagnose health care and health
    concerns right away. And there's a simple reason: The sooner you
    diagnose a problem--you can treat problems before they become worse.
    Medicare now covers preventive screenings that can catch illness from
    diabetes to heart disease. Medicare is covering innovative programs to
    help seniors with chronic diseases like high blood pressure. I urge
    every senior to take advantage of these new benefits in Medicare.
        In the 21st century, preventing and treating illness requires
    prescription drugs. Seniors know this. Yet because Medicare did not
    cover prescription drugs, many seniors had to make painful sacrifices to
    pay for medicine. In my travels around the country, I met seniors who
    faced the agonizing choice between buying prescription drugs and buying
    groceries. I met retirees who resorted to cutting pills in half. I met
    Americans who were forced to spend their retirement years working, just
    to pay for their prescriptions. These hardships undermine the basic
    promise of Medicare. And thanks to Medicare Modernization Act, those
    days are coming to an end.
        To provide immediate help with drug costs, the new Medicare law
    created drug discount cards. Over the past year, millions of seniors
    have used these cards to save billions of dollars. In Missouri, I met a
    woman who used her discount card to buy $10 worth of drugs for $1.14.
    She was happy with the card. Another senior went to her pharmacy and
    spent under $30 for medicine that used to cost about four times as much.
    And here is what she said: ``When he got out my medicine card . . . and
    told me what the savings was, I about dropped my false teeth.''
    [Laughter]
        The Medicare Modernization Act created a prescription drug benefit
    to replace drug discount cards and bring savings and peace of mind to
    all 42 million Medicare beneficiaries. The new benefit will help every

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    senior as well as Americans with developmental and physical disabilities
    and mental illnesses and HIV/AIDS. Congress scheduled the prescription
    drug benefit to start in January of 2006. Thanks to the leadership of
    Secretary Leavitt and Mark
    McClellan, we are on track to deliver
    prescription drug coverage on time to every American senior.
        As Medicare's professional staff prepares to implement the
    prescription drug benefit, we also must ensure that seniors are ready to
    take full advantage of their new opportunities. And that's why I've come
    here today. It's important for everyone to understand that Medicare
    prescription drug coverage is voluntary. Seniors can choose to take
    advantage of the benefit, or they can choose not to. It's up to them.
        And there's plenty of time to make the decision. Starting on October
    1st, Medicare beneficiaries will begin getting information about the new
    prescription drug plans available. They will receive a handbook called
    ``Medicare and You'' that includes detailed information about their
    options. If they like what they see and choose to get prescription drug
    coverage, they can enroll any time between November 15th of this year
    and May 15th of next year. Beneficiaries should make their decisions as
    soon as they are ready, because enrolling before May will ensure that
    they pay the lowest possible premiums.
        The Federal Government will work hard to ensure that Medicare
    beneficiaries understand their options. I've asked every agency that
    touches the lives of seniors or disabled Americans to devote resources
    to explaining the prescription drug benefit. And we need the help of
    people in the private sector as well. The only way to reach everyone on
    Medicare is to mobilize compassionate citizens in communities all over
    the country. And that's why we've come together this afternoon to kick
    off a nationwide outreach campaign.
        Over the next 11 months, we will unite a wide range of Americans
    from doctors to nurses to pharmacists to State and local leaders to
    seniors groups to disability advocates to faith-based organizations.
    Together, we will work to ensure that every American on Medicare is
    ready to make a confident choice about prescription drug coverage, so
    they can finally receive the modern health care they deserve.
        As we spread the word about the new opportunities in Medicare, we
    will make it clear that prescription drug coverage will provide greater
    peace of mind for beneficiaries in three key ways.
        First, the new Medicare coverage will provide greater peace of mind
    by helping all seniors and Americans with disabilities pay for
    prescription drugs, no matter how they pay for medicine now. On average,
    Medicare beneficiaries will receive more than $1,300 in Federal
    assistance to pay for prescription drugs. Seniors with no drug coverage
    and average prescription expenses will see their drug bills reduced by
    half or more. The new Medicare benefits will also provide special help
    for seniors with the highest drug costs. Starting in January, Medicare
    will cover 95 percent of all prescription costs after a senior has spent
    $3,600 in a year. Seniors will never be able to predict what challenges
    life will bring, but thanks to Medicare, they can be certain they will
    never have their entire savings wiped out to pay for prescription drugs.
        Second, the new Medicare coverage will provide greater peace of mind
    by offering beneficiaries better health care choices than they have ever
    had. Seniors will be able to choose any Medicare prescription drug plan
    that fits their needs and their medical history. Seniors who want to
    keep their Medicare the way it is will be able to do so. Seniors using
    Medicare Advantage to save money will be able to keep their plans and
    get better drug benefits. Seniors who receive drug coverage from a
    former employer or union can count on new support from Medicare to help
    them keep their good benefits. Every prescription drug plan will offer a
    broad choice of brandname

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    drugs and generic drugs. Seniors will also have the choice to pick up
    their prescriptions at local pharmacies or to have the medicine
    delivered to their home.
        These options might sound familiar to some of you here at the
    Department. It's got to sound familiar to Members of the United States
    Congress. After all, these health care choices, these kind of choices
    are available for people who work here in Washington. And if these
    choices are good enough for people who work here in Washington, they
    ought to be good enough for the seniors all across the country.
        Third, the new Medicare coverage will provide greater peace of mind
    by extending extra help to low-income seniors and beneficiaries with
    disabilities. For years, beneficiaries on the tightest budgets received
    no help from Medicare to pay for prescription drugs. Because we acted,
    about a third of American seniors will be eligible for a Medicare drug
    benefit that includes little or no premiums, low deductibles, and no
    gaps in coverage. On average, Medicare will pick up the tab for more
    than 95 percent of prescription drug costs for low-income seniors. To
    receive this important assistance, low-income seniors have to fill out a
    straightforward, four-page application form with, at most, 16 questions.
    No financial documents or complicated records are required, and the
    forms are easy to obtain. In fact, millions of applications have already
    been mailed to low-income seniors. If you or a family member receives
    one of these, I urge you to fill it out and send it in. Some of the
    seniors groups that are here have a saying, ``When in doubt, fill it
    out.'' [Laughter] By encouraging all low-income seniors to sign up for
    extra assistance, we will ensure that Medicare gives its greatest help
    to those with the greatest needs.
        With all of these essential reforms, the Medicare Modernization Act
    created a new commitment to seniors and Americans with disabilities, and
    all of you are helping to make good on that commitment. By lending a
    hand to neighbors in need, you are strengthening your communities and
    showing the great compassion of our country. Many organizations have
    already launched innovative efforts to reach seniors. And I'll continue
    to call on people to put forth innovative strategies to reach our
    seniors.
        For example, in Wisconsin and Indiana, more than 270 community
    leaders are coming together to find ways to get information to rural
    seniors. In Chicago, a food pantry, the Catholic Archdiocese, and a news
    publication are all working to get the word out about the new Medicare
    benefits. The Federal Department of Transportation, under the leadership
    of Norm Mineta, is working with local
    agencies to post Medicare information in buses and at highway rest
    stops. Thousands of pharmacies are working with Medicare to provide
    information for seniors. Countless other organizations are holding
    community events and connecting with seniors face to face, so Medicare
    recipients can get their questions answered and make informed choices
    about prescription drug coverage. In other words, we're on a massive
    education effort, starting today. And I'm asking for America's help.
        You can help by making a call to your mother or father and tell them
    what's available. You can help by showing an older neighbor how to fill
    out a form. You can help by spending an afternoon at the local
    retirement home. And by the way, when you help somebody, you're really
    helping yourself. You can get information 24 hours a day calling 1-800-
    MEDICARE. It's pretty easy to remember, 1-800-MEDICARE. Or you can use
    the Internet to visit the official Medicare web site at medicare.gov.
    All you've got to do is type in medicare.gov, and you're going to find
    out what I'm talking about.
        Remember that information about prescription drug plans will be
    available starting October 1st, and November 15th is the first day to
    sign up for the new coverage. You need to circle those dates on your
    calendar and tell the seniors in your life that modern medicine is on
    the way. This is

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    a good deal, and people need to take advantage of it.
        I think the passage of the Medicare Modernization Act is a good
    lesson for all of us who work in this city. You know, it wasn't all that
    long ago the leaders who talked about Medicare reform faced a lot of
    name-calling--to say the least. When Congress finally rose above
    politics and fulfilled its duty to America's seniors, it showed what's
    possible in Washington, DC. We need that same spirit--[applause]. I
    mean, this bill is proof that Americans really aren't interested in
    seeing one party win and another party lose. What Americans want to see
    is people coming together to solve problems. That's what they want to
    see.
        We had a problem in Medicare. It wasn't working the way it should.
    It wasn't modern. It wasn't answering the needs of our seniors. And by
    coming together, we have done our job here in Washington. And as a
    result of working together, we have changed Medicare for the better.
    Medicare is now modern, reformed, and compassionate. And I urge all
    seniors--all seniors and those folks here in America who want to help
    seniors, look into this new prescription drug benefit; it will make your
    life better.
        Thank you all for coming. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:22 p.m. at the Department of Health and
    Human Services.