March 2, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Tom Petri joined with the rest of Wisconsin's congressional delegation Friday in defense of the state's SeniorCare program.

In a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, signed by each Wisconsin senator and representative, the delegation wrote, "As you know, this successful prescription assistance program currently has 108,000 Wisconsin seniors on the rolls, and it is set to expire on June 30, 2007. This program is very important to our state, and we strongly urge you to approve the pending waiver to extend the program to June 30, 2010 as expeditiously as possible."

The delegation said that denying the waiver would cause potential breaks in prescription coverage, confusion, and bureaucratic problems for many vulnerable seniors who are otherwise satisfied with their coverage. "In addition to dropping preferred coverage for Wisconsinites, a denied waiver would also cost taxpayers more money," the delegation wrote. "As you know, the average annual federal subsidy for a SeniorCare waiver participant is $617, less than half the $1,174 the federal government spends to subsidize a Part D participant."

Petri said of the issue," It's a good program, it's something that many seniors in the state of Wisconsin have come to rely on. It's a cost-effective program. It seems to me it has worked well, and it would just cause confusion and needless expense if it were eliminated."