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| Wilson: House Approves Historic Prescription Drug Plan |
November 22, 2003 |
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| Washington, DC — Congresswoman Heather Wilson today voted for a voluntary prescription drug plan to cover seniors. The bill was approved 220-215 by the U.S. House of Representatives early Saturday.
The historic legislation guarantees access to prescription drugs for 250,000 New Mexico seniors and 40 million Medicare recipients nationwide beginning in 2006. The plan is projected to save seniors an average of 50 percent on their prescriptions.
“Adding a voluntary prescription drug plan improves on the service that Medicare has provided America’s seniors for 40 years,” said Wilson, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that worked extensively on the legislation. “Over the past 40 years health needs have changed to include more preventive medicines, and this new coverage helps keeps pace with advances in health care.”
“Seniors need a prescription drug plan now. It’s time. Prescriptions are very expensive, and this plan makes a difference for seniors and especially for people with lower or fixed incomes,” Wilson said. “About 94,000 lower-income New Mexico seniors will be provided coverage without the cost of a premium.”
Everyone in the Medicare plan will also see immediate assistance with the cost of prescription drugs through a discount drug card offered in 2004 and 2005 while the plan is being implemented.
“Seniors will receive discounts between 15% to 25% off the retail price of their prescription drugs almost immediately after passage of the bipartisan Medicare bill,” said Wilson.
Seniors earning less than $12,123 per person and $16,362 per couple will receive $600 of additional assistance per year for 2004 and 2005.
“Fifty thousand of New Mexico’s seniors will qualify for this additional $600 subsidy,” said Wilson. “This deal gives significant savings to all seniors, but low-income seniors fair exceptionally well.”
The bill also includes significant adjustments in payment rates for doctors and hospitals in New Mexico that Wilson and others championed. “We don’t pay into Medicare based on where we live and we shouldn’t be denied access to health care because of where we live,” Wilson said.
The bill was supported by the AARP, the Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and other seniors and health associations.
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