FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 10, 2006

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Pelosi: Confusing Medicare Prescription Drug Program Hurts America’s Seniors

San Francisco– House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi held a town meeting today with seniors at the Dorothy Day Community Center inSan Francisco to discuss the confusing Medicare prescription drug program.  The town meeting was the first of many events that House Democrats will hold across the country this month to discuss the Democratic plan to provide seniors with a real prescription drug benefit.

“Good morning to all of you.  I’m honored that so many of you turned out this morning to have a conversation about an issue that is personal to the lives of America’s seniors and disabled:  How will you have access to prescription drugs, which are essential to your good health?

“As we meet here today, there will be many workshops, town hall meetings, and press events across the country that Democrats are holding in order to listen to their constituents to exchange ideas about how this can be made to work for you or be replaced.  We call this prescription drug plan Medicare Part D, for Disaster.  That is how we’ve seen it have an effect on the American people.

“Democrats have certain fundamental principles that we think a prescription drug benefit should contain.  It should be a guaranteed and defined benefit, it should not have huge coverage gaps, and it should reduce the price seniors pay for prescription drugs.  But none of that is contained in this Medicare bill.

“Hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries across the country have been unable to get their needed prescriptions, have faced outrageous delays, and have been over-charged.  And this is supposed to be a new benefit.  Many of the 6.2 million Americans who enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, the dual eligibles, are now worse off.  Tens of thousands of beneficiaries have been turned away from pharmacies without their prescriptions.

“Twenty-six states, more than half the states in our country, have had to intervene to insure the low-income beneficiaries can obtain the drugs, with many states declaring public health emergencies.

“Democrats believe that we must replace this misguided Republican Medicare prescription drug benefit plan with one that is clear, fair, and puts seniors, not the pharmaceutical companies, first. Democrats are fighting for emergency measures right now.  The Republican bill is terrible.  We would like to replace it; that is our goal.  It is essential that we do so.

“We are fighting for emergency measures that would ensure that all beneficiaries get their prescriptions by allowing pharmacies to bill Medicare directly during this transition period.  They should be able to do that.  Seniors and the disabled are entitled to their benefit.  Let the pharmacy bill Medicare immediately, and extend the enrollment period at least six months.

“Democrats insist on giving the government the authority to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.  This was specifically prohibited in the bill.  Imagine, having a provision in the bill that prohibits the government from negotiating for lower prices.  Do you know why that was in there?  Because the pharmaceutical industry insisted that it be in there.  If you put them first, seniors are going to go last and pay the price.

“Democrats are also fighting to allow Medicare beneficiaries to obtain prescriptions from Canada without any penalty.  But make no mistake: that does not take our eye off the ball of replacing this to begin with.

“I want you to know that as we meet here today, a series of these meetings will happen across the country, just as Democrats did on Social Security.  We had over 1,000 town meetings on Social Security across the country; there was a drumbeat across America.  People understood that the privatization of Social Security was the ending of Social Security.

“This Medicare prescription drug bill is brought to you by the same people who brought you the privatization of Social Security.  It should go the same route.”

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi