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Senator Rockefeller ANGRY THAT SENIORS ARE NOT GETTING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND INFORMATION THEY NEED UNDER NEW MEDICARE DRUG PLAN   

-Rockefeller to Introduce Legislation to Help Seniors Get the Drugs They Need Sooner and Reduce Times They Are Experiencing in Calling 1-800-Medicare-

Washington, DC – Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today announced that he will introduce new legislation to help alleviate some of the frustrations seniors are experiencing as they move into the new Medicare prescription drug program.  Reports across the country have indicated that many low-income seniors and disabled Americans have experienced gaps in prescription drug coverage since the program began on January 1. Overall, many elderly and disabled individuals report that the process of transitioning to the Medicare drug program has often been an exercise in futility. 

Rockefeller and other Democrats have been warning for several years about the potential for the crisis. They have pushed for legislation to avert this problem, but their efforts were repeatedly blocked by Republicans, who did not acknowledge any fault with the program.   

“From the outset, we saw the potential for problems with the Medicare prescription drug program,” said Rockefeller.  “That’s why I voted against the bill in 2003, and that’s why I’ve been working over the last few years to fix the problems with gaps in coverage.

“I have been hearing from seniors, pharmacists, and advocates that low-income seniors are being hurt, not helped by the government’s transition to a Medicare drug benefit.  If even one West Virginia senior can’t get the critical medications they need, that is one senior too many.

“To avoid potential problems, we need to make sure that, in the short term, seniors and disabled persons receive at least 30 days of their prescription drugs. We also need to make sure that beneficiaries are being given better customer service, so that they can get their questions answered.  The administration’s continued disregard for problems seniors are actually experiencing has made this situation far worse and far more dangerous.”  

In the face of this crisis, at least 14 states have announced that they have taken emergency action to help the low-income Medicare beneficiaries who are struggling to fill their prescriptions.

As far back as 2003, when the Medicare drug bill was being debated, Rockefeller and other Senate Democrats fought to put safeguards in place for low-income seniors, but those efforts were rejected.  Last year, Rockefeller introduced the Medicare Dual Eligible Prescription Drug Coverage Act to postpone the start of the transition for low-income seniors by six months to ensure prescription drug coverage for all Medicaid recipients.  Every Republican in the Senate voted against this legislation. 

Rockefeller even asked the President personally in 2003 to honor his pledge that all seniors, including the low-income seniors suffering now, would have access to their prescription drugs at all times.

Dr. Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), refused to acknowledge problems with the program, promising a “seamless transition” for seniors to the new program.

Rockefeller is working with officials at the state and federal level to address problems that have arisen in the transition.  Today, Rockefeller and other Senate Democrats are sending a letter to Michael Leavitt, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, calling for emergency measures to be taken.  

The legislation Rockefeller will introduce next week when the Senate returns would require all prescription drug plans to provide new enrollees with at least 30 days of their prescription drugs during their transition to Medicare. The legislation would also require CMS to have one dedicated employee stationed at every Senior Health Insurance Plan site to assist beneficiaries and counselors and to act as a liaison for oversight and enforcement of the prescription drug benefit.

Rockefeller’s bill would also require the spending of necessary resources to reduce the wait times seniors are experiencing when they call 1-800-Medicare.   Finally, the bill would provide federal reimbursement for states, pharmacies, and beneficiaries for the costs that they have had to pay out-of-pocket because the Medicare prescription drug benefit has failed to cover their costs. 

Rockefeller reminded West Virginians that they should feel free to call one of his West Virginia offices if they have questions: Charleston (304-347-5372), Beckley (304-253-9704), Fairmont (304-367-0122), or Martinsburg (304-262-9285).

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