Barron, WI -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today emphasized his support for a bill to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and discussed how high prescription drug costs and other consumer expenses are affected by the special consideration given to wealthy interests through the campaign finance system.

Voicing strong support for legislation that could lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, Feingold said that "the absence of prescription drug coverage in Medicare means staggering out-of-pocket expenses for Wisconsin seniors. This bill could make a big difference for seniors who are struggling to cover these costs."

Feingold is an original cosponsor of The Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 1999, which would allow all pharmacies that serve seniors to purchase prescription drugs at lower rates. Feingold explained that small, owner-operated community pharmacies that serve many Wisconsin seniors lack the purchasing power of the pharmaceutical companies' favored customers and have to pay higher prices for prescription medication. Those higher prices are then passed on to the seniors who purchase them. That, coupled with the lack of Medicare coverage for this medicine, means that the majority of Wisconsin seniors have little access to affordable prescription drugs.

Feingold also discussed his effort to point out the political contributions of wealthy interests from the Senate floor, dubbed "The Calling of the Bankroll," which is similar to an effort pioneered by Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. Feingold said that during a recent debate on the Patients' Bill of Rights on the Senate floor, he pointed out the political contributions of the pharmaceutical industry included more than $6.5 million in soft money and $4 million in PAC money during the last election cycle.

"This powerful industry has successfully lobbied to keep drug patents longer, restricting access to generic drugs and costing consumers up to $550 million a year," Feingold said. "Now the pharmaceutical companies are lobbying for a say in the price and variety of prescription drugs offered by HMOs, when the average senior already spends $100 to $200 dollars each month on prescription drugs."

Feingold's 37th Listening Session of 1999, and the 469th since he was first elected in 1992, was held at the Barron Senior Center, beginning at 9 a.m. Feingold's 38th session of 1999, and 470th since he was first elected, was held at the Rusk County Community Library beginning at 11:30 a.m. Feingold renewed his pledge to hold sessions in all of the state's 72 counties every year after keeping his promise to do so during his last term.