President Kennelly Letter to Senate: Vote against amendments and pass HR 4872

March 24, 2010

United States Senate
Washington , DC 20510

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, I write to urge you to oppose amendments to the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) and to vote in support of the bill. This bill adds crucial components to health care reform, such as closing the Medicare Part D doughnut hole by 2020, and it helps to preserve the Medicare program for the future by investing $250 million in efforts to fight waste, fraud, and abuse.

As you are aware, the health reform package will provide seniors that fall into the Medicare Part D coverage gap - the doughnut hole - with immediate relief in 2010 by providing a $250 rebate. Beginning in 2011, brand-name drugs will be discounted by 50 percent for those in the doughnut hole, and the coinsurance beneficiaries must pay for generic drugs begins to be phased down to the standard 25 percent. By 2020, the high co-payments required by the doughnut hole are eliminated altogether. This assistance could not come soon enough for the 3.4 million beneficiaries who fall into the doughnut hole - as access to medications for people in the doughnut hole becomes alarmingly limited by the unabated increase in drug costs from year to year.

The reconciliation bill will also provide new funding to expand the use of proven techniques to root out the fraud and abuse that currently drains Medicare's resources. The bill provides $250 million over the next decade to enhance the oversight and monitoring activities that lead to the prosecution of providers who steal from the Medicare program. Enhancement of these efforts will help fulfill the expectation of the Medicare Actuary that health reform legislation will extend the solvency of the Medicare trust fund by nine years .

We urge you to vote to pass the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 and to oppose any amendments that are offered. It is vitally important that this next stage of health reform legislation closes the doughnut hole and boosts resources to eliminate waste and fraud in the Medicare program.

Cordially,

Barbara B. Kennelly
President & CEO