Posted on 06/13/2003 6:29:32 AM PDT by bedolido
NEW BRITAIN, CT (Talon News) -- President Bush urged Congress to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare plans while speaking with senior citizens on Thursday at New Britain General Hospital in Connecticut.
"We have got a challenge when it comes to quality health care for our seniors," the president said, speaking directly to senior citizens. "We face a challenge because many seniors face the high cost of prescription drugs. It's a challenge we've got to deal with here."
Bush expressed his concern about availability of prescription drugs and making generic drugs more cost effective for all Americans.
"One way to make prescriptions more affordable is to ensure that generic drugs are not delayed in reaching the market, are not delayed for consumers to be able to purchase," he said.
Bush said that when drug patents expire, there should be "safe, lower cost" ones made available to the public. But there is generally a delay in this process that the president says needs to be pushed through more quickly.
The Federal Drug Administration has been directed by the president to speed up the process of approving generic drugs for distribution to the general public. The FDA will accomplish this by cutting down on the period of time a generic drug company will have to wait to market their alternative version of the drug. Drug manufacturers who have the initial patent on a drug will be given a 30-month stay and will not be allowed to file endless delays, which ultimately harms the people who need low-cost drugs the most.
Additionally, drug companies will not be allowed to disallow generic versions of drugs because of minor differences from the original. Changes such as pill color and added ingredients that do not alter the effectiveness of the drugs will not be adequate cause for blocking generics. Also, the patent rules will be strengthened to criminally charge companies that provide false information on patent applications.
"By taking these actions, we will bring generic drugs to the market much more quickly -- in some cases, years earlier. And this should save the American consumers about $3.5 billion each year -- savings that will go, of course, to the consumers, to our seniors; or to Medicaid programs administered by the state; or to employer health plans," President Bush concluded.
There are bills in both the U.S. House and Senate that include prescription drug coverage to those who are covered under Medicare. The estimated cost of adding prescription drug coverage is $400 billion over 10 years.
"I want to work with both the House and the Senate on this legislation to make certain that prescription drugs are more affordable to the American people," the president said.
Turning his attention to the accessibility of medical insurance, Bush said that people on Medicaid should be able to choose the health coverage that fits them best like every member of Congress has.
"If it's good enough for the employees and the members of Congress to have choice, it's good enough for our seniors to have choice when it comes to health care plans as well," he said.
Bush shared several personal stories of Americans who would greatly benefit from prescription drug coverage. He urged Congress to act on this for the sake of America's seniors. And he sent a subtle warning to Democrats who have sought to make this issue a partisan battle.
"The Congress must understand we've got a problem with Medicare. They should not politicize the issue. They ought to focus on what's best for our fellow Americans and get a package done. And the House needs to get it done, and the Senate needs to get it done prior to the 4th of July break," Bush said, giving lawmakers less than three weeks to get this accomplished.
The reasons for skyrocketing health care costs are frivolous medical lawsuits, Bush says. He shared about a pediatrician in Chicago who pays an annual medical malpractice insurance premium that will exceed $200,000 next year, and he has never been sued.
"If people are filing lawsuits right and left in our society, which they are, it's natural that a doctor or a hospital will want to practice more medicine than is necessary to be able to defend themselves in case they end up in a court of law. And that's expensive," lamented Bush.
Bush said there is a direct link between medical lawsuits and the federal budget because of the effect on Medicare. He reiterated his position on limiting non-economic judgments to a maximum of $250,000.
"This is a necessary part of health care reform. It is necessary to keep docs in business. It is necessary to keep consumers in a position where they can have affordable and available health care. The House has passed the bill. The Senate needs to pass the bill. And if you're interested in medical liability reform, you ought to contact the United States senators from the state in which you live and let them know your opinion," Bush urged.
The trip to New Britain is the second in two months for President Bush. He spoke at the graduation services at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in May.
Copyright © 2003 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
So what' that make the REAL number... 2, 3 trillion?
Like the real small-government conservative he is. ...sigh....
I'm suprised more people aren't furious about this confiscation of income from young working people to old retired people
They have paid social security most of their lives and contribted so much to our country.
Paying social security means they should get back social security payments, which they do. They knew when they were paying the tax that it had zip to do with drugs
This isn't a welfare program !
Of course it is. If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, it is a duck.
see what I mean?
It's always been that way. It's a season in life. It'll be that way when you're seniors (everyone gets old if they live long enough).
sure they control 70% now. They worked for it. Now it's your turn to work for it and take it back. It's the way of the world.
thanks for caring for your older people. It amazes me that so many young people are so bitter about having to care for seniors.
you can curse the seniors or care for them. It's up to you. remember that any curse you put on them will still be there when you're older. curse or bless wisely.
Okay, but you care for your seniors and I'll care for mine. And if you care enough, start a charitable orginzation to help those cursed and without caring families. Just leave the government out of it.
I'm bitter about having my money taken so the GOVERNMENT can care for seniors. If you really cared, you'd start a charity so they would get REAL efficiently run help.
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