Ehrlich on Washington column, June 23, 2002

NEWS FROM 1407 York Rood, Suit* 304 Lulhorvilla, Могу land 21093 Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 3 1 5 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Week of June 23, 2002 GOP Plan Makes Prescription Drugs Affordable Republicans have good news for Maryland’s seniors: major progress was made last week to help older Americans pay less for their prescription drugs. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, of which I am member, adopted a groundbreaking $350 billion Medicare reform bill that also provides a guaranteed lifetime prescription drug benefit plan. For all its successes, Medicare has not kept pace with the revolutionary advances in medicine. In 1965, it was a brand-new system that helped seniors with health care in their golden years. Today, it is a dated plan that relies on methods from two generations ago. With seniors leading longer, healthier lives, Medicare must be reformed to keep pace with medical advances for each and every senior citizen in our country. A reasonable prescription drug benefit plan is critical to this challenge. We need a plan that gives seniors access to their drugs at significantly lower prices. Seniors with catastrophic drug costs need to know the federal government will pick up the tab after a certain level to alleviate crushing expenses. Seniors who do not qualify for Medicaid, but still have low incomes, need to know that they will get relief. Physical exams - which we all should receive - are part of this new Medicare coverage. In response to these challenges, my Republican colleagues in Congress and I are backing the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act. Under this plan, drug costs for seniors would be reduced by about one-third. The federal government would pay for 80 percent of the first $1,000 of drug costs and for 50 percent of the next $1,000. The plan picks up the full tab for drug costs beyond $3,700 annually. This proposal also pays for a senior citizen’s full physical examination. My bill brings $572 million home to pay for Maryland’s Medicaid deficit over eight years. 300,000 of Maryland’s poorest seniors (those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid) will