Paul Tonko: “I just wanted to speak to the issue that Representative Altmire raised with the doughnut hole--such a sweet label thrown…”

“I just wanted to speak to the issue that Representative Altmire raised with the doughnut hole--such a sweet label thrown onto a hidden attack on our senior community, asking them to dig into their pockets when they hit the threshold of $2,930 and up till they hit the threshold of $4,700. I can tell you painful, heart-wrenching stories that many of the seniors I represent--and again, I have a huge proportion of seniors in my home county of Montgomery County, New York. Many will reach that threshold early in any fiscal year. It's a phenomenon with the prescription drugs. Those prescription drugs are their connection to quality of life. It's not only keeping them well and healthy; it may be keeping them alive. There are far too many heart-wrenching stories of people who will cut their prescription or their pills in half so that they can balance their budget. That is not the way to respond to their medical needs. They are told by their physician what that prescription drug intake is to look like for their wellness or their getting well. We ought not cause them to be pushed to the brink where they actually adjust their intake of prescription drugs just to meet a budget. This closing of this doughnut hole, making prescription drugs more affordable, where we finally in 2020 close it completely--I mean, people have realized already billions of dollars of savings. There have been 5.3 million seniors that have received $3.7 billion in savings.…”