Bob Dole: “I rise in favor of a Medicare prescription drug benefit. We live in different times now. Thirty-eight years ago when the…”

“I rise in favor of a Medicare prescription drug benefit. We live in different times now. Thirty-eight years ago when the Medicare Program was created, most people were treated in hospitals. Many illnesses were untreatable, and the average lifespan was shorter than it is today. But we have made great strides since then. Today people are living longer, better, and healthier lives. My own mother turned 102 years old last month--something perhaps she never even imagined. But new medical technologies and advanced drugs have made it possible for many of our elderly to live productive lives for many years. Unfortunately, the high cost of these life-sustaining medications is preventing many of our seniors from reaping the benefits of these advancements. The elderly in my State of North Carolina have been hit particularly hard. The State's Division of Aging estimates that one-half of North Carolina's residents aged 65 and older have no prescription drug coverage. As I traveled our 100 counties, I have heard their stories. They are cutting their pills in half to make them last longer--a dangerous practice that can lead to unanticipated drug reactions. They are sacrificing groceries so they have money to buy the drugs they need. Even worse, far too many of them are simply going without needed drugs.”