Congressman Sander Levin

Medicare Prescription Drugs

I believe that Medicare should cover prescription drugs in the same way that the program covers physician visits and hospital stays.

Unfortunately, in 2003 the President and a Republican-led Congress took a different approach and established a program in which private plans contract with the government to provide prescription drug coverage to seniors. I believe this approach has many shortcomings. For example, the current Medicare Prescription Drug program has created a "donut hole" in which seniors have to pay at least $3,850 in out of pocket costs to regain their drug coverage. The "donut hole" is the part of the program where Medicare beneficiaries are faced with a gap in coverage. In the donut hole, seniors continue paying monthly insurance fees but stop receiving financial coverage for their drugs.

In the short-run I support efforts to fix the major flaws of the current law. I support legislation to give seniors more time to choose a plan and enroll, and to give people an opportunity to change plans if necessary. I am also a cosponsor of The Prescription Coverage Now Act of 2007 [H.R. 1536] to help millions of Medicare beneficiaries that qualify for extra help get the assistance they need to pay for their prescription drugs.

I strongly support legislation to grant Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers on behalf of all Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007 [H.R. 4] was approved in the House with a bi-partisan vote of 255 to 170 and is pending in the Senate.

If you are a Medicare beneficiary and are having problems with the program, please see my Medicare casework page for more information or contact my District Office at (586) 498 - 7122 with any questions or concerns you may have.