AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE

Democrats will fix the Medicare prescription drug program, negotiate lower drug prices, end giveaways to drug companies, and promote stem cell research.

AFFORDABILITY: Democrats will reduce the cost of prescription drugs

·         Require Medicare to leverage its bargaining power and negotiate lower prices with drug companies so that seniors get a better deal.

·         Close the “donut hole” by dedicating the cost savings from price negotiation toward ending the coverage gap.

SIMPLICITY: Democrats will offer a simple and efficient option directly through Medicare

·         Allow seniors to choose a plan administered directly by Medicare – efficiently guaranteeing a simple and secure benefit that will reduce drug costs and ensure comprehensive coverage.

·         Extend the enrollment deadline to December 31^st without penalty, so that individuals are not locked out of drug coverage for the rest of the year.

RELIABILITY: Democrats will ensure access to prescription drugs

·         Stop drug plans from increasing co-payments and creating burdensome administrative hurdles during the year, when beneficiaries are not allowed to change plans.

·         Read the press release about Rep. Becerra's successful efforts to guarantee reliable drug coverage under Part D.

·         Ensure moderate-income Medicare beneficiaries get the drug coverage assistance they need by eliminating complex barriers.

WRONG DIRECTION: THE FLAWED REPUBLICAN BILL

·         The flawed Republican bill specifically prohibits Medicare from negotiating with drug companies for lower prices – a proven tool used by the Veterans Administration to reduce costs.

·         Many beneficiaries will be faced with a coverage gap where they will be forced to pay the entire cost of their prescriptions between $2,250 and $5,100 – also known as the “donut hole” – even though they will still be responsible for paying monthly premiums.

·         Rather than building on the existing framework in Medicare, the Republican Congress chose to outsource prescription drug coverage to private plans resulting in an unnecessarily complex program.

·         Individuals who did not sign up prior to the May 15^th deadline are being forced to pay a lifetime penalty in the form of higher premiums and will be denied drug coverage until 2007.

·         Under the Bush plan, prescription drug plans can change how much they charge at any time or create administrative hurdles that make it burdensome for beneficiaries to access their prescriptions.