Martha McSteen, President
Max Richtman, Executive Vice
President
Robert Mahaffey, Executive Director,
Communications
| For Immediate Release: | For more information contact |
| July 11, 2001 | Lee Goldberg at 202/216-8376 |
NATIONAL LOBBYING GROUP WELCOMES MAINE Rx LAW GIVING SENIORS PRICE BREAK
Urges
Congress To Pass Coverage Legislation That Provides
Coverage
Washington, D.C. – The efforts of the state of Maine to reduce the price of prescription drugs for seniors are to be applauded, but Congress needs to take action this year to provide universal and affordable prescription drug coverage as part of Medicare program," Martha McSteen, President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare said.
Maine enacted a law that requires drug companies to provide Medicare beneficiaries without prescription drug coverage a discount negotiated by the state. Pharmaceutical manufacturers that refuse could be subject to state price caps and could be excluded from the state’s Medicaid program.
"The Maine law offers seniors in that state with a measure of financial relief, but this is not a substitute for federal legislation that provides coverage. The Maine law is an example of how some states have recognized the crisis that many seniors face, but price discounts are not a substitute for coverage. Congress needs to address this national problem and provide coverage," she said. The Senate Finance Committee is set to take up the issue of Medicare prescription drug coverage this summer.
There are approximately 325,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Maine without prescription drug coverage. Last month, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston overturned a lower court ruling that the law was unconstitutional.
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With millions of members and supporters across America, the National Committee is one of the nation's largest grassroots organizations engaged in political advocacy and devoted to the retirement security of all citizens - from "twenty-something" generation and baby boomers to the nation's thirty-four million seniors. The National Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization independent of Congress or any government agency