Russ Feingold: “on January 1, 2006, the administration launched the Medicare prescription drug benefit, a program long touted by…”

“on January 1, 2006, the administration launched the Medicare prescription drug benefit, a program long touted by President Bush as the vehicle that would provide affordable, easily accessed prescription drugs for seniors. The program has fallen far short of that goal so far. The outcries that I have heard from pharmacists, beneficiaries, and health care providers over the past few weeks make clear that the implementation of the program has been a disaster. This program has not provided either affordable or easily accessed drugs to many Medicare beneficiaries. Instead, it has presented many seniors and the disabled with frustration, confusion, expensive medications, and sometimes no medications at all. It is unacceptable for individuals to go without lifesaving medications, yet this is what has been happening across the country since this program commenced. This situation is an emergency, and Congress needs to address it right away. Since the beginning of January, I have received panicked phone calls from people in my State saying that they were unable to receive drugs that they have been routinely getting at their pharmacy every other month. Many calls were from people who could not receive essential drugs such as insulin, antipsychotics, or immunosuppressants for transplant patients.…”