[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[February 11, 2006]
[Pages 228-229]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
February 11, 2006

    Good morning. Today I want to talk to you about the new Medicare 
prescription drug coverage that went into effect on January 1st of this 
year.
    When I came into office, I found a Medicare system that was 
antiquated and not meeting the needs of America's seniors. The system 
would pay tens of thousands of dollars for a surgery but not a few 
hundred dollars for the prescription drugs that could have prevented the 
surgery in the first place. So working with Congress, we passed critical 
legislation that modernizes Medicare, provides seniors with more 
choices, and gives seniors better access to the prescription drugs they 
need.
    Since the program went into effect 6 weeks ago, more than 24 million 
people with Medicare now have prescription drug coverage, and hundreds 
of thousands more are enrolling each week. The competition in the 
prescription drug market has been stronger than expected and is lowering 
costs for taxpayers and seniors alike. This year, the Federal Government 
will spend 20 percent less overall on the Medicare drug benefit than 
projected just last July. The average premium that seniors pay is a 
third less than had been expected--just $25 per month instead of $37 per 
month. And the typical senior will end up spending about half of what 
they used to spend on prescription drugs each year.
    Last month in Oklahoma City, a senior named Dorothy Brown signed up for Medicare prescription drug coverage. 
Dorothy has six prescriptions, and previously she paid about $300 a 
month for her medicines. A Medicare enrollment counselor at a shopping 
mall helped Dorothy log on to the Medicare web site, where she typed the 
information on Dorothy's Medicare card and listed Dorothy's 
prescriptions. When the counselor was finished, the computer showed five 
different plans that fit Dorothy's needs. Dorothy chose the least 
expensive plan, and now, instead of paying $300 a month, she will pay 
about $36 a month for her medicines. As a result, Dorothy will save more 
than $3,000 this year.
    For Dorothy and for the vast majority of 
our seniors, the new prescription drug program is working well. Still, 
when you make a big change in a program involving millions of people, 
there are bound to be some challenges, and this has been the case with 
the new drug coverage. Some people had trouble the first time they went 
to the pharmacy after enrolling. Information for some beneficiaries was 
not transferred smoothly between Medicare, drug plans, and the States. 
And in the early days of the drug coverage, waiting times were far too 
long for many customers and pharmacists who called Medicare or their 
drug plans to seek help.
    Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt has traveled to 18 States in the past 3 weeks to meet with 
Governors and make sure the prescription drug program is working for 
everyone, and we're making good progress. We're ensuring that drug plans 
have more up-to-date information on their beneficiaries, and we're 
improving data-sharing among Medicare, health plans, and the States. We 
have also extended the transition period from 30 days to 90 days, to 
guarantee that seniors do not go without the medicine they need as they 
switch to a new drug plan. We have also acted to ensure that phone calls 
to the Medicare help line are now answered with little or no waiting 
time, and we're working with insurers to help them do the same on their 
phone lines.
    Despite early challenges, the results so far are clear: The new 
Medicare prescription drug plan is a good deal for seniors. If you're a 
Medicare recipient and have

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not yet signed up for prescription drug coverage, I encourage you to 
review your options and choose the plan that is right for you. Americans 
who have parents on Medicare should encourage and help them to sign up. 
Citizen groups, faith-based organizations, health professionals, and 
pharmacies across America are working to help answer questions. Seniors 
can also get information 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or by 
visiting the official Medicare web site at medicare.gov.
    Prescription drug coverage under Medicare has been available for 
just a few weeks, but its benefits will last for decades to come. I was 
proud to sign this Medicare reform into law. And because we acted, 
millions of American seniors are now saving money, getting the 
lifesaving drugs they need, and receiving the modern health care they 
deserve.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:10 a.m. on February 10 in the 
Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February 
11. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on February 10 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of this address.