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Background on the President's Framework for Prescription Drug
Legislation
The President has proposed a comprehensive framework for strengthening
Medicare that includes guaranteed access to an affordable Medicare
prescription drug benefit for all seniors.
- The drug benefit would allow seniors to strengthen the private
health insurance coverage that helps well over half of seniors today -
seniors would not see their coverage replaced by a one-size-fits-all
government plan.
- All seniors would have choices of drug coverage, to enable them to
get the coverage they prefer - no senior would be forced to accept just
one or two "options" in which the government controls which drugs are
covered, as under some prescription drug proposals.
- Seniors would have access to other modern benefits, like those
provided in the Evercare plan and other private Medicare+Choice plans in
the Minneapolis area, which help them work with their doctors to stay
healthy and reduce their drug costs. For example, Evercare provides
"disease management" services for seniors with multiple complex
illnesses and their families, reducing the number of prescriptions they
have to take and reducing their health care costs - all while achieving
patient and family satisfaction of 95 percent.
- Seniors would get help now - they would not have to wait for relief
for several more years while the full Medicare drug benefit is set up.
- The President has proposed a Medicare-endorsed drug card,
supported by AARP and other senior and medical groups. All seniors
will be able to use their purchasing power to get lower prices from
drug manufacturers.
- The President has proposed Federal funding beginning next year to
provide prescription drug assistance to low-income Medicare
beneficiaries, through existing state programs or the Medicare drug
card. Up to 3 million seniors who do not have drug coverage now would
get help.
- The President has proposed new Medigap options that provide more
affordable drug coverage, and fair payments for Medicare+Choice plans
so they can continue to provide drug coverage and other modern
benefits for seniors.
- All of these proposals for immediate help are reflected in the
House-passed Medicare bill.
- These proposals are part of a comprehensive framework that would
give seniors more reliable and affordable options for health care
coverage, that would keep Medicare's benefits financially secure for the
Baby Boom, and that would allow seniors who wish to do so to keep the
coverage they have with no changes.
- Most importantly, all seniors should have access to the best
breakthrough drug treatments available today, and quick access to drug
breakthroughs that are in the pipeline of research and development. The
HHS report issued today shows the way to make that happen.
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