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Graham Prescription Drug Bill Receives Backing of
Senate Leadership
June 12, 2002
WASHINGTON (June 12, 2002) – Senator Bob Graham, D-Florida, today
announced that an improved version of his bill to provide a comprehensive and
affordable prescription drug benefit for America's seniors has been endorsed by
the leadership of the Senate Democratic Caucus and more than a dozen other
Democrats.
"None of us buy the so-called conventional wisdom that nothing
significant can be enacted in this election year," Graham said at a press
conference with his colleagues. "There is enough time to meet our goal – passage
of a universal, comprehensive and affordable prescription drug benefit.
"This will be the largest expansion of the Medicare program since its
inception in 1965, and it represents significant reform by shifting the emphasis
from treating sickness to promoting wellness," Graham said.
Among the sponsors of the bill are Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South
Dakota; Assistant Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada; and Senators Zell
Miller, D-Georgia; Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts; Hillary Rodham Clinton,
D-New York; John D. Rockefeller IV, D-West Virginia; and Debbie Stabenow,
D-Michigan.
Among the key provisions of the Graham-Miller-Kennedy bill:
• A guaranteed monthly premium of $25.
• Assistance from the very first prescription of the year.
• A "co-pay" system, modeled on private insurance plans, with a $10 fee
for a generic drug and $40 for a medically necessary brand-name medicine.
• No expenses after $4,000 in out-of-pocket expenditures.
The bill is being supported by a wide range of groups representing
seniors, labor unions and consumers, including AARP, AFSCME, the National
Council on Aging, Families USA and the National Committee to Preserve Social
Security and Medicare.
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