Jack Kingston: “I did support the Tauzin bill, the Thomas bill, the one the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) and the gentlewoman from…”

“I did support the Tauzin bill, the Thomas bill, the one the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) and the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson) and so many others on the Committee on Ways and Means and Committee on Energy and Commerce, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), have championed. The way I understand that bill, it is basically for a premium of about $35 a month, seniors on a voluntary basis would enroll in a program where they would take a $250 deductible, and from $250 to $1,000 Medicare would pick up 80 percent of the cost of drugs; then from $1,000 to $2,000, Medicare would pick up 50 percent; and then there is a gap, and there is a reason for that. Most of the people are going to fall under $2,000, but from $2,000 to about $3,800, the senior would pay for 100 percent. Beyond that, Medicare picks up the tab. So you have catastrophic coverage. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people these days having to pay $6,000, $7,000, $8,000, $10,000, $20,000 a year on drugs. But so many people are in a lifestyle now where they have to take three, four, five, six pills a day. I talked to a man over the weekend or over last week at one of my 11 town meetings, and he is actually having to take 2 pills a day, $17 each. So he is having to spend each and every day $34 on just two pills. He is only 51 years old. I hope he lives 50 more years at least, but the reality is, can you imagine at age 51 having to pay $34 each and every single day?”