Sean Patrick Maloney: “I thank you, Congresswoman Thurman for organizing this important special order on the need for prescription drug…”

“I thank you, Congresswoman Thurman for organizing this important special order on the need for prescription drug coverage. Medicare provides health care coverage to forty million retired and disabled Americans. For decades, Medicare has worked to provide needed, lifesaving health care to millions, but it is missing a fundamental component: a prescription drug benefit. If we have courage, this Congress can make history and give our nation's seniors what they desperately need: a real, and meaningful prescription drug plan. I am proud to joint my Democratic Colleagues, lead by Mr. Dingell, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Stark and Mr. Brown, as an original cosponsor of the ``Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit and Discount Act.'' I come to the floor this evening to discuss two points: Number 1: unlike the Republican drug plan, the Democratic plan is simple because it builds upon a proven model--Medicare. Just like seniors pay a Part B premium today for doctor visits, under our plan, seniors would pay a voluntary Part D premium of $25 per month for drug coverage. For that, Medicare or the government will pay 80 percent of drug costs after a $100 deductible. And NO senior will have to pay more than $2,000 in costs per year. There is an urgent need for this plan. The most recent data indicates that almost 40 percent of seniors--an estimated 11 million--have no drug coverage.”