04-R 351
2004 -- H 8272
Enacted 06/22/04
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
RESPECTFULLY
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO REVISE CERTAIN
PROVISIONS
OF THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG, IMPROVEMENT AND
MODERNIZATION
ACT OF 2003 (HR-1)
Introduced
By: Representatives Giannini, Dennigan, and Handy
Date
Introduced: March 10, 2004
WHEREAS,
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of
2003
(MMA) will result in significant savings for only a minority of beneficiaries
with extremely
large
drug bills and may cost some beneficiaries more in premiums, deductibles and
co-pays than
they
will get back in benefits; and
WHEREAS,
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of
2003
(MMA) provides no substantive drug benefits until 2006 other than a discount
card that will
provide
minimal discounts on prescription drugs for most beneficiaries; and
WHEREAS,
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of
2003
(MMA) creates a "doughnut hole" by suspending coverage for drug costs
between $2,250
and
$5,100 a year; and
WHEREAS,
The average beneficiary is projected to spend $3,155 on drugs when the
program
starts, placing many of them within this large gap in prescription drug
coverage caused
by
the "doughnut hole"; and
WHEREAS,
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of
2003
(MMA) specifically prohibits the federal government from directly negotiating
with drug
manufacturers
to obtain lower prices for covered drugs; and
WHEREAS, Low-income Medicaid beneficiaries will lose protections and benefits
they
currently
enjoy under Medicaid and will be subject to higher co-payments and lose any wrap-
around
coverage under Medicaid; and
WHEREAS,
The Medicaid Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of
2003
(MMA) requires non-Medicaid eligible low-income beneficiaries to be subject to
a rigorous
assets
test; and
WHEREAS,
While states are being relieved of their responsibility of offering drug
coverage
to "dual eligibles," they will be required to reimburse the federal
government for a
significant
percent of the cost of drug benefits for these beneficiaries and states will
also lose this
group
in their own negotiating pool for Medicaid drugs; and
WHEREAS,
The deductible beneficiaries pay for drug coverage will be indexed to
growth
in aggregate Part D (prescription drug) expenditures; and
WHEREAS,
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of
2003
(MMA) reduces home health reimbursement rates by an estimated $6.5 billion over
10
years
and these lower reimbursement rates threaten beneficiaries' access to critical
home health
services;
now, and therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
Providence
Plantations hereby respectfully urges the United States Congress to amend the
Medicare
Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) to address
the
serious
gaps and issues raised in this resolution including: eliminating the
prohibition on the
federal
government negotiating lower prices for drugs, narrowing the gap in the
"doughnut hole",
liberalizing
the restrictive asset test for persons with low incomes, changing the index for
beneficiary
contributions from drug price inflation to the consumer price index, and
restoring
scheduled
reductions in home care reimbursement; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to
transmit
duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable George W. Bush,
President of
the
United States, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives of
the
Congress of the United States, and to each member of the Rhode Island
Congressional
Delegation.
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LC02819
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