AARP commends Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) and the co-sponsors of this Medicare prescription bill for their leadership in focusing the Congress's attention not only on the high cost of prescription drugs, but more importantly, on the need to develop prescription drug coverage in Medicare. We welcome this positive step toward legislation that reflects many of AARP's principles for designing a prescription drug benefit available to all Medicare beneficiaries.

We are pleased that this proposal would create a voluntary prescription drug benefit within Medicare that would be available to all beneficiaries. Further, we are pleased that today's proposal includes stop-loss protection for beneficiaries with very high drug costs and builds upon the President's plan both in terms of the money available for stop-loss protection and the time-frame in which it would be implemented. However, like several other proposals before the Congress, this proposal raises questions about whether the level of federal subsidy made available will be adequate to attract the broad risk pool that is needed to make the coverage affordable for the vast majority of beneficiaries.

It is time that those who use medicines most - older Americans and the disabled - get the kind of affordable drug coverage that most Americans with health insurance take for granted. AARP supports a prescription drug benefit in Medicare that would be available to and affordable for all beneficiaries. Prescription drugs are an integral part of modern medicine.

We look forward to working with Members of Congress and the President to bring about meaningful bipartisan legislation that creates dependable and affordable prescription drug coverage for all Medicare beneficiaries.