"On this day in 2001, our world was changed forever.  And now, two years later, our government, our communities, and even our families have made changes to fit this new world, and we are still changing.  We have dealt with incredible losses at the hands of terrorists who tried to strip us of our freedom and way of life, and many of us have family members who have fought and are still fighting to preserve that. 

"I am proud of the way our nation has reacted and adjusted over the past two years.  I am proud of our men and women in uniform who are bravely defending our country, our military, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and all who respond to situations that threaten our security and our lives.  I hope you will join me in keeping these dedicated men and women in our hearts and in our prayers.  I see a country today that is more patriotic than ever in my lifetime.  I see a country today that is praying a lot more, and I know America is only getting stronger."

“I am looking forward to this opportunity to provide our farm families with a voice during these trade talks,” Ross said.  “Delegates from 146 countries are discussing issues that will affect the livelihood of Arkansans who have an economy rooted in agriculture.  As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture, I have the unique opportunity to discuss our needs with delegations from countries in more than fourteen meetings over these four days.  While we do not have an official vote in this summit, we are helping to lend a powerful presence in the hopes of giving our United States delegate a very influential seat at the international table.  I support fair trade, not free trade, and I will do all that I can to help level the playing field so that our farm families can compete in the global market.”

Ross will travel with Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, ranking member Charles Stenholm, and other members of the committee’s leadership.  During their visit, the delegation will meet with a number of key officials in the international agriculture community, including:

US Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza
The European Parliamentary Forum
US Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman 
Deputy USTR Peter Allgeier
Undersecretary of Commerce for the International Trade Administration Grant Aldonas
USTR Agriculture Ambassador Allen Johnson
Under Secretary for Business, Economic and Agricultural Affairs, Alan Larson 
USDA’s Undersecretary of the Foreign Agriculture Service, J.B. Penn

 “This report continues to confirm that the Administration and Republicans have misplaced their priorities by promoting a ‘Medicare-endorsed prescription drug card’ instead of working to provide a meaningful Medicare prescription drug benefit that will not leave gaps in coverage,” said Ross.  “In January 2002, I requested a similar report from GAO that found seniors will only save on average about $3 or $4 per prescription.  While these cards may provide some small savings, a $15 or $20 savings on a $400 medicine bill is not going to help seniors choose between buying their medicine and paying their electricity bill or buying groceries.  Seniors don’t need a so-called prescription drug discount card; what they want, and what Democrats are fighting for, is to truly modernize Medicare to include a voluntary but guaranteed prescription drug benefit.”

GAO analyzed the prices of nine popular prescription drugs for seniors, comparing the prices available with prescription drug cards to the prices paid by seniors in three areas of the country — California, North Dakota, and Washington, D.C.  On average, the cards produced savings of less than $5.00 per prescription.  Savings were even lower in California and North Dakota, with average savings in these two states of less than $3.27 and $3.30 per prescription respectively.

Savings on certain popular and expensive drugs are even smaller.  Prilosec is the highest selling drug for seniors in the United States.  Seniors in Washington, D.C. who used drug cards received an average savings of only $2.09 on Prilosec, which is 1.7% off the monthly average cost of $125.28. 

In some cases, prices are higher with the drug card than without.  GAO found that one of the pharmacies in North Dakota with a senior discount program sold eight of the nine drugs at a lower price than seniors could receive with some discount cards.  In California, pharmacies that participate in the Medi-Cal program are required to give seniors a discounted price.  For the popular arthritis medication Celebrex and the generic blood pressure medication atenolol, average prices paid by California seniors are already lower than the prices with the drug cards.

Even when drug cards appear to give proportionately large discounts, the real benefits are minor.  GAO included two generic drugs in its survey and found that the drug cards offered average discounts of approximately 30%.  But because these drugs are inexpensive to begin with, the actual dollar savings are small — on average, less than $2.50 per month.

Moreover, GAO found that any savings realized by seniors using these cards are reduced by the annual or one-time fees charged for the drug cards.  It is estimated that seniors would pay a yearly fee of $25 to $30 for the Medicare prescription drug card.

House Ways and Means Republicans included prescription drug cards in the Medicare prescription drug legislation passed earlier this year, claiming that the cards would provide savings to seniors of up to 20%.  The GAO study demonstrates that discount cards do not provide this level of savings. 

The full GAO report can be accessed at www.house.gov/reform/min.

Mike Ross visits Steve French's shrimp farm in McGehee.  As ranking member of the Agriculture Committee’s Livestock and Horticulture Subcommittee, Ross often meets with local producers to discuss issues they face in the agriculture industry.