Guaranteed Prescription Drug Coverage 
for All Seniors 
 
February 21, 2002
 
In January, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, a Republican from Missouri, and I joined together to introduce a bipartisan bill to establish a voluntary, but guaranteed prescription drug benefit for all seniors.  

This week, during our congressional President’s Day district work period, I have been traveling to a number of communities in Arkansas to visit with seniors about the need to make prescription drugs more affordable for our seniors.  Prescription drug prices have skyrocketed in recent years, roughly 50 percent since 1999, and it’s time something is done to help our seniors afford the medicines they need to stay healthy or get well.  

On Monday, an elderly man came up to me in Arkadelphia and showed me his last month’s Social Security check that he and his wife live on, and then he showed me the bill for his wife’s medicine for that month.  Her medicine bill was higher than their Social Security income.   Unfortunately, stories like theirs are common.  It’s not just low-income seniors that are affected; almost all senior citizens rely on Medicare.  That is why I am fighting to get Congress to unite to modernize Medicare to include medicine for all seniors.

The bill that Congresswoman Emerson and I have introduced,  “The Medicare Drug and Service Coverage Act”, commonly known as the “MEDS Act”, will truly provide meaningful savings for seniors when it comes to the costs of prescription drugs.  The MEDS Act will demand that the big drug manufacturers pay rebates to Medicare just like they currently pay to HMOs, while still allowing seniors the freedom to choose their pharmacy and their medicines.  

Our prescription drug benefit would be completely voluntary, so that those who have private coverage from a previous employer can use it, but it would be a guaranteed part of Medicare so that those who need it can have access to affordable medicines.  Seniors would pay a monthly premium and have an annual deductible of $250.  After that, seniors would pay only a 20 percent co-pay on their medications.  

This issue is critical to seniors and families across America.  I hope that Congress will act soon to pass this bill and truly bring our seniors the meaningful relief they deserve. 


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