Byron Dorgan: “I want to talk about the subject that is going to be front and center in the Congress this week, the issue of a…”

“I want to talk about the subject that is going to be front and center in the Congress this week, the issue of a prescription drug benefit and Medicare. There are stories in today's papers--the Washington Post, the New York Times, and others--in which the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee is quoted as saying that there is a belief that his party, meaning Congressional Republicans, need to do something on the issue of prescription drugs. He says, ``It's a great issue--no question it polls well.'' Another member from the other side of the aisle said: ``We're going to use the marketplace pressure to solve the problem, which is much better than the government program.'' In other words, the majority party feels they have to bring a bill to the floor addressing the need for prescription drug coverage because the issue polls well. So they are going to bring an illusory bill to the floor of the House this week that requires private insurance companies to offer an insurance policy that helps people pay for their prescription drugs. The catch is that the insurance companies say they cannot offer such a policy. Officials from two companies have come to my office and told me that, to offer a policy with $1,000 in benefits, it would cost $1,200. I come from a rural State. In rural States, a recent study shows that rural Medicare beneficiaries pay 25 percent more out-of-their own pockets for prescription drugs than do urban beneficiaries.”