On the recordJune 10, 2010
Today, checks will go in the mail to 189,000 seniors across Pennsylvania, including thousands in my district in Western Pennsylvania. This will help them pay for prescription drugs. These $250 checks are on the way to seniors who fell victim to the prescription drug donut hole in Medicare. The $250 checks are just the first step in reducing prescription drug prices for seniors under the new health care reform. Next year, seniors in the donut hole will get a 50 percent discount on name-brand prescription drugs and a 75 percent discount on generics. The average Pennsylvania senior will save $700 next year on prescription drugs because of the health care reform bill. This is a down payment on reducing prescription drug costs for seniors and eventually closing the donut hole altogether. I am proud that our health care reform legislation is helping seniors during this difficult time.
