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WASHINGTON - Members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation are calling on President-elect Barack Obama to allow the state to continue using federal funds for its popular SeniorCare prescription drug program past Dec. 31, 2009, when the federal government's current waiver is set to expire. Without a renewal of the waiver, SeniorCare participants will need to switch to the federal government's Medicare Part D program to continue receiving government-subsidized prescription drug benefits.
"SeniorCare is a program that works," said Rep. Tom Petri. "It's a good deal for seniors and for the taxpayers. When a state figures out how to do something right, it should be allowed to continue."
Tuesday's letter to the President-elect, organized by Sen. Feingold and cosigned by each member of the delegation, follows:
November 18, 2008
Dear Mr. Obama,
On behalf of the tens of thousands of seniors enrolled in Wisconsin’s SeniorCare prescription drug program, we strongly urge you to renew the waiver for this crucial program, which enables seniors across the state to afford necessary medications.
Wisconsin seniors deserve the best prescription drug program available, and that program is SeniorCare. Time and again, we have seen why SeniorCare is an invaluable asset to Medicare beneficiaries in our state.
SeniorCare makes fiscal sense. This program saves the federal government money, and it saves money for seniors. The average annual federal subsidy for a SeniorCare waiver participant is $588, nearly a third of the $1,690 the federal government spends to subsidize a Part D participant. As a result, this program will save taxpayers $31 million while providing primary prescription drug coverage for tens of thousands of seniors.
Furthermore, Wisconsin seniors prefer SeniorCare – and for good reason. The program provides almost 91,000 Wisconsin seniors with access to comprehensive prescription drug coverage. And because SeniorCare is able to negotiate better drug prices, an AARP study showed that 94% of SeniorCare participants are better off under SeniorCare than they would be under Medicare Part D.
Extending this program is the right thing to do for the state of Wisconsin, Wisconsin seniors, and American taxpayers. We were happy to hear during your campaign that you share our commitment to this valuable program, and look forward to working with you to enact a permanent extension of SeniorCare.
Respectfully,
Russell D. Feingold, United States Senate
Herb Kohl, United States Senate
David Obey, Member of Congress
James Sensenbrenner, Jr. Member of Congress
Tom Petri, Member of Congress
Ron Kind, Member of Congress
Paul Ryan, Member of Congress
Tammy Baldwin, Member of Congress
Gwen Moore, Member of Congress
Steve Kagen, M.D., Member of Congress
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