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President Touts Medicare Drug Program in Radio
Address
No mention of Medicare budget cuts
Feb.11, 2006 – Saying, "Despite early challenges,
the results so far are clear: The new Medicare prescription drug plan is
a good deal for seniors," President Bush used his weekly radio address
to talk about the Medicare prescription drug program. He said "hundreds
of thousands" of senior citizens are enrolling weekly and urged others
to do the same.
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Bush said the government will spend 20 percent less
overall on the Medicare drug benefit than projected just last July. He
also pointed out that seniors, too, are paying premiums one third less
than projected - just $25 per month, instead of $37.
"And," he said, "the typical senior will end up
spending about half of what they used to spend on prescription drugs
each year."
As an example of the success being found by
seniors, he told the story of an Oklahoma City woman named Dorothy
Brown.
Bush said, "Dorothy has six prescriptions, and
previously she paid about $300 a month for her medicines. A Medicare
enrollment counselor at a shopping mall helped Dorothy log on to the
Medicare website, where she typed the information on Dorothy's Medicare
card and listed Dorothy's prescriptions. When the counselor was
finished, the computer showed five different plans that fit Dorothy's
needs. Dorothy chose the least- expensive plan -- and now, instead of
paying $300 a month, she will pay about $36 a month for her medicines.
And as a result, Dorothy will save more than $3,000 this year."
"For Dorothy and for the vast majority of our
seniors, the new prescription drug program is working well," declared
the President.
The President did not mention, as he had in an
earlier speech, the difficulty seniors were finding in choosing a plan.
Nor did he mention the recent cost-cutting for Medicare in his budget
proposal for FY 2007.
In signing the Budget Reduction Act last Wednesday,
that also reduced spending on Medicare and Medicaid, he said, "Bringing
entitlement spending under control is a critical priority of our
government. We need to slow the annual growth of entitlement programs to
levels that we can afford -- we do not need to cut those programs.
"There is an important distinction -- it is the
difference between slowing your car down to the speed limit, or putting
your car into reverse. By making wise reforms that will reduce the
annual growth of mandatory spending, the Deficit Reduction Act will save
taxpayers nearly $40 billion over the next five years -- that's about
$300 per taxpayer."
The following is the transcript of the radio
address by President Bush:
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Today I want to talk
to you about the new Medicare prescription drug coverage that went into
effect on January 1st of this year.
When I came into office, I found a Medicare system
that was antiquated and not meeting the needs of America's seniors. The
system would pay tens of thousands of dollars for a surgery, but not a
few hundred dollars for the prescription drugs that could have prevented
the surgery in the first place. So working with Congress, we passed
critical legislation that modernizes Medicare, provides seniors with
more choices, and gives seniors better access to the prescription drugs
they need.
Since the program went into effect six weeks ago,
more than 24 million people with Medicare now have prescription drug
coverage, and hundreds of thousands more are enrolling each week. The
competition in the prescription drug market has been stronger than
expected and is lowering costs for taxpayers and seniors alike.
This year, the Federal government will spend 20
percent less overall on the Medicare drug benefit than projected just
last July. The average premium that seniors pay is a third less than had
been expected -- just $25 per month, instead of $37 per month. And the
typical senior will end up spending about half of what they used to
spend on prescription drugs each year.
Last month in Oklahoma City, a senior named Dorothy
Brown signed up for Medicare prescription drug coverage. Dorothy has six
prescriptions, and previously she paid about $300 a month for her
medicines. A Medicare enrollment counselor at a shopping mall helped
Dorothy log on to the Medicare website, where she typed the information
on Dorothy's Medicare card and listed Dorothy's prescriptions. When the
counselor was finished, the computer showed five different plans that
fit Dorothy's needs. Dorothy chose the least- expensive plan -- and now,
instead of paying $300 a month, she will pay about $36 a month for her
medicines. And as a result, Dorothy will save more than $3,000 this
year.
For Dorothy and for the vast majority of our
seniors, the new prescription drug program is working well. Still, when
you make a big change in a program involving millions of people, there
are bound to be some challenges, and this has been the case with the new
drug coverage. Some people had trouble the first time they went to the
pharmacy after enrolling. Information for some beneficiaries was not
transferred smoothly between Medicare, drug plans, and the states. And
in the early days of the drug coverage, waiting times were far too long
for many customers and pharmacists who called Medicare or their drug
plans to seek help.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt
has traveled to 18 states in the past three weeks to meet with governors
and make sure the prescription drug program is working for everyone, and
we're making good progress. We're ensuring that drug plans have more
up-to-date information on their beneficiaries, and we're improving
data-sharing among Medicare, health plans, and the states. We have also
extended the transition period from 30 days to 90 days, to guarantee
that seniors do not go without the medicine they need as they switch to
a new drug plan. We have also acted to ensure that phone calls to the
Medicare help line are now answered with little or no waiting time, and
we're working with insurers to help them do the same on their phone
lines.
Despite early challenges, the results so far are
clear: The new Medicare prescription drug plan is a good deal for
seniors. If you're a Medicare recipient and have not yet signed up for
prescription drug coverage, I encourage you to review your options and
choose the plan that is right for you. Americans who have parents on
Medicare should encourage and help them to sign up. Citizen groups,
faith-based organizations, health professionals, and pharmacies across
America are working to help answer questions. Seniors can also get
information 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or by visiting the
official Medicare website at www.Medicare.gov.
Prescription drug coverage under Medicare has been
available for just a few weeks, but its benefits will last for decades
to come. I was proud to sign this Medicare reform into law. And because
we acted, millions of American seniors are now saving money, getting the
life-saving drugs they need, and receiving the modern health care they
deserve.
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