Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr. SMITH, and Mr. BINGAMAN):

S. 2618. A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to extend medicare cost-sharing for the medicare part B premium for qualifying individuals through September 2005; to the Committee on Finance.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, Senator BAUCUS and I are pleased to announce the introduction of legislation to extend cost-sharing assistance to qualifying individuals for the Medicare Part B premium through September 2005. Qualified Individuals are a vulnerable population with income between 120 percent and 135 percent of the federal poverty level and limited assets. It is estimated the monthly Medicare Part B premium will be around $75 in fiscal year 2005. Let me put this into real numbers, this extension will provide over $900 dollars of annual assistance to Medicare beneficiaries who earn less than $12,600 per year.

In the Medicare discount drug card program, Congress has targeted this same population with the transitional assistance program. These same seniors are eligible to receive $600 in assistance on their Medicare-approved drug card both this year and next. We need to extend this program, and the President agrees. An extension is part of his fiscal year 2005 budget. It does not seem right for us to assist these Medicare beneficiaries with some of their health care costs and relinquish our assistance in other areas. This program has been in existence since 1997 and has been extended every year thereafter because it targets help to low-income Medicare beneficiaries. I urge Congress to act on this important legislation.