Over the course of their lives, these seniors have seen some remarkable changes.  Some of the advancements they have witnessed have come in health care, where new treatments and new prescription drugs are being developed constantly.  Many of these new drugs can help seniors live longer and healthier lives, others are absolutely necessary to combat a specific disease or illness.  Unfortunately, prescription drugs are also expensive, too expensive for many seniors to afford.  And for the most part they are not covered under Medicare.  To help give seniors access to affordable prescription drugs, Members of the House of Representatives are developing legislation to add a needed prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program.

The addition of a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program has been debated for years, but more talk has not led to more affordable prescription drugs.  The time for talking has come to an end, and the time for action has arrived.  That is why Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) recently created a Prescription Drug Action Team, made up of 43 Members of Congress.  The goal of this team is to craft legislation creating a new Medicare prescription drug benefit, and have this bill on the House floor for a vote by the end of May.  As the only Ohioan on the team, I look forward to working with the Speaker and the appropriate House committees on drafting this legislation that will benefit seniors here in Ohio and throughout the nation.  

At a recent event announcing the creation of this team, we unveiled our four guiding principles for any Medicare prescription drug benefit.  They are as follows:

Lower the Costs of Prescription Drugs Now.  Some have proposed prescription drug plans that are slowly phased in and do nothing to help seniors right now.  But seniors are facing high drug costs right now, and therefore it is critical that any plan must lower the costs of prescription drugs immediately.

Guarantee All Senior Citizens Prescription Drug Coverage.  A responsible Medicare prescription drug plan must guarantee coverage for all seniors and provide additional assistance for low-income seniors and those facing runaway drug costs due to a long-term, severe illness.

Improve Medicare with More Choices and More Savings.  Along with guaranteeing coverage to seniors, we must also present seniors with more options to choose what’s best for them.  The plan should be voluntary, promote preventive medicine and strengthen the Medicare+Choice program.

Strengthen Medicare for the Future.  The Medicare Trustees report that in 2016, Medicare spending will begin exceeding its income and by 2029, the Medicare trust fund will be insolvent.  Therefore, a responsible plan should strengthen Medicare by ensuring the program can deliver necessary benefits as well as the additional prescription drug benefit for many years to come.

For the past thirty years, May has been recognized as Older Americans Month -- a time to acknowledge the many contributions made by our nation’s seniors.  As we remember these contributions, we must also remember that many seniors are in need of help with their health care costs.  Passing a Medicare prescription drug benefit will help all seniors get the access they need to affordable medicine.  Over the course of the next month, I look forward to working with my colleagues to try to make that happen.