The system established by Republicans in the Medicare
Modernization Act of 2004 – using the power of the free market – has been
remarkably successful. The Medicare Prescription
Drug Benefit (or, Medicare Part D as it is known) is an overwhelming success, thanks
to the hands-off approach of the government.
Congressman Weller believes we should continue that success by keeping
the government out of seniors’ medicine cabinets.
Seniors began signing up for prescription drug coverage in January 2006.
Before the signup period ended in May 2006, Congressman Jerry Weller hosted 16
registration fairs in the Illinois 11th Congressional District where thousands
of seniors were able to discuss their options with experts and select the best
cost saving plan for their needs.
Today, nearly 1.5 million seniors (87%) in Illinois now have prescription drug
coverage. In the 11th District, there are 96,512 seniors (77%)
covered by Medicare.
The initial sign up period for the Medicare prescription drug benefit has
now passed. There are still opportunities, particularly for low income seniors,
that want to sign up for a drug benefit. If you are a low income senior, or you
know some one that is, encourage them to call Patty Cowman at Congressman
Weller’s Joliet
office at 815-740-2028. Patty will help determine if they qualify and will
direct them to someone that can help answer their questions or get them signed
up.
In the 110th Congress, Rep. Weller voted for a
measure that would protect seniors’ access to life-saving drugs and community
pharmacies by restricting government interference in the form of price
negotiating. Quality, low-cost coverage
plans are currently available in the 11th Congressional District,
and repeated polling that shows seniors overwhelmingly approve of the Medicare
Part D program, with good reason.
Seniors' average monthly premium for their prescription drug plan is $22
this year, down from $23 last year. There are 23 drug plans in available in the
11th District which have a $0 premium for seniors, and 34 drug plans
have no deductible. Seniors in the 11th
District are saving, on average, $1,200 a year on prescription drugs.
As an example of the program’s success, consider the case of Elaine Eisold
of Morris, Illinois. In the three months prior to her
Medicare D plan taking effect, she spent $382.00 out of her own pocket on her
prescriptions. In the first three months after her plan taking effect, she
spent only $111.00. That works out to
more than $1,000 in savings – or 70 percent of her total drug costs.
While costs are going down, choices in covered medication are going up, per
a 13 percent increase in the number of medications available. Numerous polls have indicated more than 80
percent of seniors are happy with their Medicare plan. This is why Congressman Weller opposes
wholesale changes in its structure.
Because the government’s Medicare program is the largest
purchaser of prescription drugs in the nation, Congressman Weller believes allowing
the government to negotiate would essentially lead to price setting. As a result, drug companies would be forced
to absorb their losses by either cutting funding for research into new drugs,
or raising prices for everyone else.
Moreover, as in the case of the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), savings from negotiation usually result from measures such as
allowing coverage of a very narrow formulary of drugs. The VA covers 1,300 drugs, while Medicare
covers more than 4,000. The VA also
saves money by relying heavily on mail order, while seniors have shown they
prefer the local pharmacist of their choice.
Congressman
Weller has also introduced legislation to modernize the handling of Medicare
services at community health centers. Specifically, Weller’s legislation,
the Medicare Access to Community Health Centers Act (H.R. 2897) would eliminate
a 15-year cap on federal reimbursements to certain health centers and expand
the list of services for which reimbursements could be received.
Facilities
certified as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) receive reimbursements
for Medicare services they provide. However, an arbitrary cap was placed
on these reimbursements in 1992, and has not been reviewed or updated
since. Weller’s legislation would base reimbursements on the health
centers’ cost of providing the care, and update the payment system
annually. There are four FQHCs in Rep. Weller’s district, in Momence, Kankakee, Joliet,
and Mendota.
According
to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the current
payment system hurts three-out-of-four community health centers, costing them
$85,000 annually in lost reimbursements.
Weller’s
legislation would also add mammograms, pap smears, colorectal and prostate
cancer screenings, glucose monitoring and bone mass measurement to the list of
Medicare preventative care services for which FQHCs can receive reimbursement.
