John Shaw: “Today, there is very good news for Florida's three million Medicare beneficiaries. The recent bipartisan conference…”

“Today, there is very good news for Florida's three million Medicare beneficiaries. The recent bipartisan conference agreement for Medicare will provide first-time access to prescription drug coverage. As the second largest home to seniors, this drug benefit--along with many other improvements and modernizations--will have the most significant impact for residents in our State since the enactment of Medicare in 1965. Medicare will increase in value as our beneficiaries will have available to them a prescription drug benefit, and critical protections against high out-of-pocket drug costs. New preventive benefits will keep our residents healthier, and provide a higher quality of life. The new opportunities to be screened for many illnesses and conditions will result in far fewer serious health consequences. Designed to provide enhanced coverage for the lowest income beneficiaries, over 650,000 of Florida's low-income Medicare beneficiaries--who are not eligible for Medicaid drug coverage--will receive $10 billion in critical prescription drug benefits from 2006 through 2015.”