Jon Tester, U.S. Senator

Senate Candidate Outlines Ways Administration Can Do Better on Medicare Rx Plan

U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester today rapped Senator Conrad Burns for voting against a Senate amendment that would have allowed the federal government to negotiate prices for prescription drugs under Medicare, and said the Bush administration can do more to make the Medicare Rx benefit less confusing.

Tester also laid out his ideas to make the new Medicare Rx drug program – criticized harshly for being too confusing – better for American seniors and boost enrollment in the program.

Burns voted Wednesday against an amendment by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate on behalf of 40 million beneficiaries the best possible prices for prescription drugs under the new Medicare Rx program.

The amendment passed on a 54-44 vote late Wednesday.

“Senator Burns should stand up to the big pharmaceutical companies and let Medicare negotiate drug prices to make them more affordable for our senior citizens,� Tester said. “We need a program that works for seniors, not against them. Senator Burns should urge the president to fix this confusing program so seniors can get the medicine they need.�

Tester has urged Burns and the Bush administration to extend the enrollment period for seniors to sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug program, which closes May 15. Burns voted in early February against extending the Medicare prescription drug enrollment period.

Tester said Congress and the administration should revamp the new Medicare Rx program to:

Simplify the plans and make them easier for seniors to understand. A February 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation survey noted 66 percent of seniors find the new program confusing and difficult.

Allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies to cut drug costs and make medicine more affordable to seniors and Medicare beneficiaries.

Provide more resources to counselors at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Montana State Health Insurance Assistance Program to help seniors find a good Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Extend the May 15 deadline until the end of the year so seniors can take more time to sign up and choose a plan and not pay penalties if they sign up after the current May deadline.

In the 2005 Montana Legislature, Tester was chief sponsor of Senate Bill 324, the Big Sky Rx Program, a bipartisan measure that provides prescription drug relief, covers low-income seniors, and negotiates lower drug prices for Montana senior citizens.

“I’m serious about making health care more affordable,â€? Tester said. “In the U.S. Senate, I’ll work to bring the benefit package we delivered to Montanans to the whole country. It’s simple – negotiating for lower prescription drug prices saves tax dollars and helps seniors.â€?

Posted on Thursday, March 16th, 2006 at 2:47 pm.