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Issues
Prescription Drug Benefit (Medicare Part D)
Prescription Drug Benefit (Medicare Part D)
Related Issue(s):
Health Care,
Medicare & Medicaid
Congressman Souder's Position
Prescription drugs have become increasingly important to America’s Medicare population as approximately 80 percent of all seniors use a prescription drug to treat their medical conditions. As seniors have become more dependent on prescription drugs, however, Medicare has not kept pace, until 2006. On January 1, 2006, the Medicare Part D prescription drug program went into effect, offering seniors the ability to purchase drugs on a discount basis. Congress passed this new program into law, with my support, in 2003.
While the implementation of Part D has not been perfect, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have now worked through many of the problems and seniors appear to be largely satisfied with the program. An AARP poll found 78 percent of enrollees are satisfied with their benefit. Competition among plans has driven the average monthly premium down to $25 from the initial $37 estimate, and the typical senior who previously lacked coverage is saving an average of $1,100 annually by government estimates.
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