Bill Clinton: “Governor Pataki has written to ask that in this plan Medicare cover the drug costs of these seniors and New Yorkers with…”

“Governor Pataki has written to ask that in this plan Medicare cover the drug costs of these seniors and New Yorkers with disabilities. The Governor's record explains the importance of including these people who are called, in the jargon, ``low-income dual eligibles.'' Furthermore, I believe we should eliminate the penalty against retirees. By refusing to count retiree benefits as out-of-pocket expenses, this bill assures that 365,000 New Yorkers will never make it through the coverage gap. We should also try to support States such as New York that are putting their own money into programs to provide for continuing coverage. The gap in coverage is very disconcerting. I don't even really get to that on this Medicaid maze. I think it is important to recognize there is on average a $275 deductible and at least a $35 monthly premium that could certainly vary widely. As we have seen in these examples, depending upon where you live, and depending upon who is available, there is a 50-percent subsidy until your costs are $4,500. And then you go cold turkey. Some people call that a doughnut hole. That is not my image. There is a brick wall which you run into. Spend your money, and after that you get no help--none at all--until you get to what is called the catastrophic threshold of $5,813 in drug costs.”