WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) released the following statement this afternoon after introducing H.R. 4160 - "The Keep the Promise to Seniors Act of 2014":

"Millions of our seniors are facing catastrophic changes to their Medicare Part D benefits, and today I'm introducing a bill to stop it. In January, we learned that the Obama administration issued a proposed rule to fundamentally change how Medicare Part D functions and would eliminate the competitive elements that have led to low costs and affordable prescription drug coverage. These cuts would include three out of the six protected classes of drugs that many nursing home patients need, including antidepressants, anti-psychotics and imunosuppressants. In my home state of North Carolina alone, over 550,000 senior citizens stand to lose their prescription drug coverage if this rule goes into effect."

"The administration's 700-page rule is a complete assault on this program and would remove the free market mechanisms that have made it work. This widely successful and popular program has provided our seniors with options, choices and an affordable way to purchase prescription drugs. Medicare Part D requires prescription drug companies to compete and offer a diverse set of options which have driven down costs and led to a successful model that has routinely come in under budget."

"The Obama administration must be held accountable for this attempt to seize control over a program that is a proven success. Americans should be asking themselves why this is happening. Why does the Obama administration want to take a successful program and remove the very elements that made it work? Here in the House, we are not waiting to find the answer. This program has helped millions of seniors get the medication they need while making it affordable. I'm proud to introduce the Keep the Promise to Seniors Act and look forward to its timely action here in the House."

This morning, Congresswoman Renee Ellmers introduced H.R. 4160 - the "Keep the Promise to Seniors Act of 2014." This bill would block the prescription drug provisions in the proposed rule, ensuring seniors can keep the Part D plans they chose and like. The Part D program has maintained stable, affordable average monthly premiums, enjoys a 90 percent approval rating among beneficiaries, and has program costs that are more than 40 percent below original Congressional Budget Office projections.

On January 6, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule regarding the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs. The new proposed regulations, entitled “Medicare Program: Contract Year 2015 Policy and Technical Changes to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D,” alter the current structure of the program and thus jeopardize its success and quality. If finalized, the proposed policies would impact virtually all Part D stakeholders— beneficiaries, providers, pharmacies, plans, states, manufacturers and others—and would undermine cornerstones to the program’s success.

CMS’ proposed rule fundamentally redefines the “non-interference clause” at the heart of the Medicare Modernization Act, which has driven the establishment of innovative cost-cutting plan designs. This proposal would put bureaucrats in between Part D negotiations and prioritizes agency power over seniors’ choices.

The rule also places arbitrary limits on the number of plans available to seniors by limiting plan offerings to two per region. These proposals, combined with the other questionable changes contained in the 700-page rule, will dramatically reduce choice and increase costs for seniors. Seniors who like their prescription drug plans may lose them as an estimated 214 plans would be eliminated or consolidated by the proposed rule.

To date, over 350 organizations have come out against the proposed rule.