Tom Udall: “there are less than 65 legislative days in the calendar, and we have not dealt with one of the most important concerns…”

“there are less than 65 legislative days in the calendar, and we have not dealt with one of the most important concerns: the issue of prescription drugs. Our seniors should not have to make a choice between paying rent or buying food and purchasing their prescription drugs. In the 1960s, we stepped up to the plate and provided medical coverage for those over 65 years of age. The Congress passed and President Johnson signed the Medicare program in 1965. The program has grown, and now over 40 million seniors are a part of Medicare. It is a good, solid program which provides basic medical care, but it has not kept up with new medical developments. Since 1965, a lot has changed in how we treat patients. Today if we were designing the medical care system for those over 65, prescription drugs would be an integral part of the whole. We have not adapted Medicare to modern medicine. Many of the chronic illnesses in our senior population can be treated effectively with new drugs which have been recently developed. A prescription drug component to Medicare must have several key provisions: No. 1, it must be available to all of those covered by Medicare; No. 2, it must be affordable; No. 3, it must be voluntary; No. 4, a reasonable premium must be charged; And No. 5, it must cover basic prescription drug needs. Unfortunately, our Republican friends have proposed a proposal and a program which only covers 6 percent of the senior population.”