Speaker Hastert Hosts Medicare Drug Discount Card Forum; Urges Senior Citizens to Take Advantage of Rx Discounts that Start June 1st

5/3/2004

From: Pete Jeffries or Brad Hahn, 202-225-2800, both of the Office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert

YORKVILLE, Ill., May 3 -- On the first day America's senior citizens could begin signing up for them, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) today urged a standing room only crowd of over 250 Illinois senior citizens to take full advantage of the new Medicare law by using Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Cards to deliver savings, in some cases up to 40 percent, on their monthly pharmaceutical bills.

"As one who has been working on health care issues for the last fifteen years, I have to say I am excited about this new Medicare benefit and what it has in store to make access to medicines a little bit more affordable for each one of you," Speaker Hastert remarked. "Please don't forget, most seniors today are forced to pay full price for their medications. In the new Medicare law, we took action to change that for good. On June 1st, seniors will begin to see real savings. Can't we all agree that saving money is better than paying full price any day for any one? These Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Cards will be an historic step forward for our entire Medicare program."

Speaker Hastert partnered with Senior Services of the Fox Valley to host a Medicare-Prescription Drug Discount Card Forum for local seniors at the Kendall County Senior Center in Yorkville. Joining Hastert as experts on Medicare and the new discount drug cards were:

-- Dr. Mark McClellan, Chief Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which oversees the federal health care program for seniors;

-- Jackie Garner, CMS Regional Administrator from Chicago;

-- Flora "Grandma" Green, National Spokesperson for the 4- million member Seniors Coalition; and,

-- Representatives from the various Medicare-approved drug discount cards available in Illinois. According to CMS, Illinois' 1.6 million seniors will be able to choose among 47 Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Cards.

While encouraging the crowd to research which card is best for their personal needs, Hastert said, "I hope senior citizens and their families take full advantage of this opportunity to get the facts... always remember that up-to-date information is literally at your fingertips. For price comparisons and other details, you should call 1-800-MEDICARE or go on the Internet at www.MEDICARE.gov."

The Speaker pointed out that when Medicare was created in 1965, nearly half of a senior citizen's health care costs went to doctors and the other half to hospitals. Today, nearly 40 percent of a senior's health care bill is spent on pharmaceutical medicines, but Medicare didn't cover Rx drugs until now.

Hastert added that the new prescription drug discount cards hitting the streets on June 1st could deliver significant savings: "For the typical senior who will spend $1,550 in 2004 on their medications, a 40 percent discount adds up to savings of $620." Recent studies have reported that these discounts could be up to 17 percent off name-brand drugs, 35 percent off generics, and nearly 40 percent off mail-order medicines, according to Health Affairs Journal and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

The Medicare experts also highlighted the Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Cards carry additional coverage for low-income seniors. Speaker Hastert stated, "If your household income is less than $12,569 for single seniors or $16,862 for married couples, you're eligible for an annual, upfront pharmaceutical credit of $600 per senior citizen. This $600 Prescription Drug Credit will be drawn down each time the ATM- like discount card is swiped at the point-of-purchase at your pharmacy. It's another compelling reason for nearly 340,000 poor seniors in Illinois to learn more about how to sign up for a Medicare-approved Prescription Drug Discount Card."

The Speaker concluded, "As one who helped write the new Medicare law, I can tell you our number one goal going in was to provide seniors some much-needed relief on their pharmaceutical bills. I would hope by the end of today's Forum we could all agree the Medicare-approved drug discounts which kick in on June 1st are an important first step toward the more comprehensive prescription drug benefit under Medicare which begins 18 months from now."