Friday, May 23, 2003

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong support for the Veterans Prescription Drugs Assistance Act of 2003. As an original co-sponsor, I am pleased to join my colleague, the Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Senator Specter in introducing this important legislation that addresses the medical care needs of Medicare-eligible veterans. I applaud Senator Specter for his leadership on this important issue.

For several years, many veterans have not been able to receive timely health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs due to the long waiting lines created by the huge demand for prescription drugs. Under current policy, veterans are required to see a VA doctor before receiving their medication even when they have already had a prescription written by a privately licensed physician. This policy has not only contributed to the long waiting lines, but it has denied care to service-connected and lower income veterans. It is a moral imperative that we correct this problem and I believe that this legislation is a step in the right direction.

As Chair of the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, my top priority is ensuring that the VA has adequate funding to provide accessible and quality care for our Nation's veterans. Unfortunately, despite record funding increases over the past few years, veterans must still wait for several months to see a VA doctor.

This past January, VA Secretary Principi had to take the unfortunate but necessary step of closing new enrollments to middle and higher income veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities. Many of these so-called Priority 8 veterans have Medicare insurance but do not have a prescription drug benefit. I recognize that the Congress and the President are trying to address the prescription drug issue for all American seniors and I will continue to fight to ensure that a Medicare prescription drug bill is enacted. Nevertheless, I believe that we need to raise awareness of the tragedy that many veterans suffer today to ensure that no matter what occurs during this session of Congress, they are not left behind.

This bill contains a number of important provisions but I highlight one particular measure. As I mentioned earlier, current policy requires veterans to see a VA doctor before having their prescription filled, even if they have had already seen a private doctor. This legislation allows eligible veterans to fill their prescriptions at the VA without having to see a VA doctor. This not only greatly streamlines the process and time for veterans to receive much-needed medications, but it also provides relief to the waiting lines so that our higher priority veterans can receive timely care. In other words, this legislation is a win-win for all veterans.

This legislation may not be perfect but it is important to begin a dialogue on the prescription drug needs of our nation's veterans. I welcome my colleagues' comments and comments from the Administration. I believe that we can resolve this matter this year. I thank my colleagues for their attention to this matter and I look forward to working with all of you over the next several weeks.