Immediate
Action Needed to Move Medicare Prescription Drug Legislation Through Congress
This Year!
U.S. House of Representatives Action on the Medicare Modernization Act of 2002
is Pending! Action in the US Senate May Occur as Early as July! Please
Contact Your US Representatives and US Senators and Ask Them to Pass Bipartisan
Medicare Prescription Drug Legislation During This Session of Congress! Yesterday
a Capitol Hill rally and a press conference in support of Medicare prescription
drug coverage for seniors were hosted by The Seniors Coalition (TSC) and the National
Grange. US Senators, US Representatives, staffs, press reporters, and more than
100 senior citizens attended the rally and press conference. The US Senate and
the US House of Representatives were strongly urged to adopt Medicare prescription
drug coverage legislation during this session of Congress. The press conference
was covered by CNN, C-SPAN, ABC News, CBS News, the New York Times and the Washington
Post, among other news organizations. Mary
M. Martin, Chairman and Executive Director of TSC, started this event with short
remarks that seniors need prescription coverage and Medicare modernization this
session. Leroy Watson, Director of Legislative Affairs of National Grange, made
remarks representing rural seniors. "They are," Mr. Watson stated, "in poorer
health, have lower incomes yet have a higher need for prescription medications."
He urged Congress to enact responsible Medicare prescription drug coverage that
can adapt to the special market conditions found in the rural communities. Senator
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), one of the most supportive Senators for senior prescription
drug coverage, insisted that this legislation should not be delayed until 2004,
as proposed in the current Senate version of the legislation. She noted that the
legislation now pending before the US House of Representatives, H.R. 4954, the
"Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002",would provide Medicare
prescription drug coverage for seniors beginning in 2002. She also asserted that
the legislative process in the US Senate should be on the regular basis, which
means that the Senate legislation should be considered by the Senate Finance Committee
rather than by-passing the Finance Committee and moving directly the floor of
the US Senate for a vote in July. Senator
Larry Craig (R-ID) made remarks particularly regarding the impact of partisanship
in Senate legislation process. He mentioned that sharing ideas between Republicans
and Democrats might be the core of legislation process but, unfortunately, it
has not been working substantially in Senate compared to the House legislation,
where the Medicare Modernization Act of 2002 is pending with bi-partisan support
from members of the two parties. US Representative Edward Royce (R-CA) also gave
short comments to the rally. He expressed his support for adoption of bi-partisan
legislation to provide Medicare prescription drug coverage during this session
of Congress. Action
Plan --- Congressman Bill Thomas (R-CA), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and
Means, announced that on June 19, 2002, the Committee reported H.R. 4954, the
"Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002." Please contact your
US Representative immediately and ask them to support passage of H.R. 4954. In
the US Senate, Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle has stated he intends to bring
Medicare prescription drug coverage legislation to the floor of the US Senate
in July before the Senate Finance Committee has a chance to consider the legislation
and propose bipartisan amendments. Please contact your US Senators immediately
and ask them to move the Medicare prescription drug legislation through the Senate
Finance Committee before being considered by the full US Senate, so that bipartisan
legislation to provide Medicare prescription drug coverage can become law during
this session of Congress. Thank
you for your grassroots participation in the National Grange Legislative program.
Statement
by Leroy Watson, Legislative Director
For
The National Grange
At the Medicare
RX Rally! 418
Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC
June 26, 2002 Rural
America is speaking out for responsible, market-driven, Medicare prescription
drug coverage. Why? Because rural Medicare beneficiaries differ sharply from those
in urban areas and are hit hardest by increasing drug costs. They are in poorer
health, have lower incomes yet have a higher need for prescription medications.
Farmers especially fare poorly; they are often exposed to toxic substances, and
have an increased incidence of skin cancer, arthritis, and respiratory diseases.
In most rural areas, where access to doctors and high- tech medical treatments
are limited or too often non-existent, quality medical care and access to state
of the art medicines are one in the same thing. Rural seniors are 50% more likely
than urban seniors to have no or inadequate prescription drug coverage. The lack
of affordable prescription drug coverage is unacceptable. Congress needs to act
now to enact responsible Medicare prescription drug coverage that can adapt to
the special market conditions found in the tens of thousands of rural communities
across our nation. At the same time, we must avoid band-aid approaches such a
risky drug importation schemes, or ill-conceived price controls that will harm
rural seniors in the long run far more then they will assist them. Wake-Up, Congress!
Pass Prescription Drug Coverage Now! More
Facts About Rural vs. Urban Healthcare -
32.2% of rural Americans report to be in poorer health vs. 25.7% urban
- 37.8%
of rural Americans have serious, life-threatening chronic condition vs. 33.6%
urban.
- 46.1%
of rural Americans are less likely to have prescription drug coverage compared
to 30.1% of urban citizens without coverage.
Because
rural seniors typically have lower incomes than urban seniors and spend a higher
proportion of personal income on prescription drug coverage than the urban elderly
do. The higher proportion of out-of-pocket costs among rural seniors increases
the risk that they will either neglect the medications or take lower dosages.
(Source: Maine Rural Health Research Center and the Rural Policy Research Institute.)
The
National Grange, founded 135 years ago, is the nation's oldest national agricultural
organization, with grassroots units established in 3,200 local communities in
37 states. Its 300,000 members provide service to agriculture and rural areas
on a wide variety of issues, including economic development, education, family
endeavors, and legislation designed to assure a strong and viable Rural America.
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