STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) met with members of the AARP Bay Ridge Chapter on Saturday afternoon to outline his plan to provide affordable prescription drugs to low-income seniors.
“We have two major problems in health care today: One is that fact that 30 million or so Americans are not covered, that is a gigantic problem; and the other problem is cost,” said Rose.
Rose introduced last week the H.R. 4620 bill, also known as the “More Help for Seniors Act of 2019,” which would raise the income limits for eligibility under the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy program, helping low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities afford needed medications by lowering copays and premiums for Medicare Part D.
H.R. 4620 was added to H.R. 3, also known as the “Lower Drug Cost Now Act.”
H.R. 3, Rose explained on Saturday, will also give the government the chance to negotiate the price of certain prescription drugs with national pharmaceutical companies, which include generic as well as non-generic drugs.
“What is critical though about this is that this is not just the ability of the federal government to negotiate Medicare prices as significant as that would be,” said Rose. “What this also does, it speaks to the problem of drug cost in the commercial market as well.”
What Rose is proposing is that when drugs are negotiated for a price, that set price would also move to the commercial market.
“The fact that today we are talking about only beginning to do something about prescription drugs cost speaks to ways in which Washington D.C. has been co-opted by special interest,” said Rose.
H.R. 3 is projected to save taxpayers $345 billion within the next eight years or so, according to Rose.
Rose added that the money saved through the negotiations will move back to subsidize what will be cheaper pharmaceutical drugs for low-income senior citizens through Medicare Part D.
“It is more and more important that we both protect Social Security, but we also help so that those seniors don’t have to choose between food and drugs, housing and prescription drugs,” said Rose. “That choice should never have to be made in the United Sates of America.”
Bay Ridge and AARP President Peter Killen, who is also a Staten Island resident, said during the roundtable that he fully supports the proposal.
Bay Ridge and AARP President Peter Killen, who is also a Staten Island resident, signing an AARP petition in support of the bill. (Staten Island Advance/Irene Spezzamonte)
To show his support, Killen decided to give Rose a signed petition the AARP is sending to its members to support the bill.
The prosed legislation is particularly important for Staten Island residents, as the borough is expected to have the highest percentage of its population over the age of 65 in New York City overall by 2030, according to the New York City Population Projections.